Thinking of what to prepare tomorrow night for our media noche, to celebrate the coming of the new year. Usually, we celebrate a new leaf in the calendar with lots of sweets like fruit or buko salad, cakes and the usual food like pancit, pasta, embutido, lumpiang shanghai, menudo (mostly Chinese and Spanish recipes handed down from one generation to the next). The price of buko (young coconut) has significantly gone up over the years. It now costs P35 per piece whereas a year or two ago, it could be bought at P20 to P25.
Celebration of new year here in our country is steeped in tradition. I blogged about this years ago how we celebrate New Year. It is pretty normal that two days before new year, wet markets and grocery stores are filled with people shopping for fruits and sweets, must items that should be on the table come media noche. Tradition says that having twelve kinds of fruits on the table brings luck, any round fruit will do but some are specific about what fruits to serve on the table. When they are not in season though, they cost sky-high. It is only during this time that you will see so many fruits displayed in the market. Even lechon (a roasted suckling pig) could be bought whole or by the kilo. It’s one of the usual recipes that is served during Christmas and New Year. I bought some fruits already, half-a kilo each for the small ones, pineapple and honey-dew but they are not yet complete. There are only six items in all but the fruit basket is already filled. m I have to go back to the market tomorrow for the rest. I am thinking of preparing chicken ala king, menudo, the usual baked ham, and finger food like lumpiang shanghai (spring rolls). Pasta of course will not be left behind or pancit for long life, so they say.
Attending the New Year’s Eve mass is also practiced by most Catholics here. It used to be that mass was held at exactly 12am but that was changed over the years since you cannot hear the celebration properly with the sound of fireworks all around. I don’t know why but they haven’t totally banned the use of firecrackers. It is still a big business particularly in some towns in Bulacan.They pose a serious and environmental health dangers, it’s pollution to the max. I wonder why some people can’t do away with all these toxic chemicals. We never buy firecrackers, our neighbors’ display are more than enough to pollute the air in our village.
How do you greet the new year in your area? Do you have the same traditions like we do here? May the coming 2017 be a brighter and better year for us. May it always be filled with faith, hope and peace.
HAPPY 2017 !!!
Your new year feast sounds delicious, Arlene. After all the excesses of Christmas, we will be celebrating quietly, by having our neighbours in for a few drinks.
I hope that you have a great time, and wish you a very happy 2017.
Best wishes to you and all your family. Pete. x
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There are only two occasions in the year where we indulge Pete, Christmas and New Year, more than celebrating a birthday. We don’t drink, have no bottle of wine in the house 😦 Happy 2017!
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Your New Year feast sounds delightful… Happy New Year, Arlene and family…
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Happy New year to you too Laura. Thanks for the visit.
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When we lived near John’s family, we went to church on the 31st, gathered at sister Barbara’s house, and watched slides of photos taken that year and going back in increments of 10 — 2016, 2006, 1996, etc. until midnight. We noshed on dips and holiday sweets. Marvelous fun for all ages! Since we moved, we’ve invited neighbors for an open house. They come anywhere after 9 p.m. and stay as long as they want. Most don’t make it until midnight, but we enjoy them while they are here. We have church at 7 p.m. on the 31st and will go again at 10 on the 1st.
Happy New Year, Arlene!
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Happy New year too Anne. That’s a nice way to spend New Year’s Eve with family and neighbors. Here, when it strikes 12am, we say a short prayer of thanksgiving for the year that was and ask blessings for the new year. Then we have our prepared media noche. WE have church service here in our village at 7:30 pm on New Year’s eve then regular masses on January 1.
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Sounds wonderful 🙂 happy New Year to you and your family 🙂 xx
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Thanks Samantha. have a great 2017.
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Happy New Year Arlene. You got me hungry for fruit now.
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HAPPY 2017 Donna. May it be a blessed year for you and your family.
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There’s a firework display at midnight in our local marina but we don’t usually attend, Arlene. Mostly people just gather with friends or family and food is mostly just easy snacks. A drink and dark fruit cake celebrate the year’s turning. The 12 fruits is a nice idea. Enjoy your celebrations 🙂 🙂
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There are designated places here for the fireworks but still most of the houses here have their own.
Enjoy your new year celebration too Jo. Looking forward to more lovely photos from you. Enjoy the walk and the journey. Happy New Year!
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Happy New Year to you and your family, Arlene! Your feast sounds delicious, especially all the fruits! 🙂
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Same to you Sabine. May your 2017 be a blessed one. Yeay, those fruits, supposedly representing each month of the year. Thanks!
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On New Year’s Eve, at 6pm we have a dessert potluck at church in the fellowship hall. There is a large window there overlooking a city park where there is a fireworks display. We let the kids stand near the window and ooh and ah while we stay warm driinking coffee and eating sweet.
On New Year’s Day itself we always have black eye peas with ham over rice. This is believed to bring good luck. And it is delicious! This year they will be in the crock pot cooking while we are at Mass.
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It’s nice to know how you celebrate New year there Elizabeth. I am cooking the menudo early today, the rest will follow after our 7:30pm mass tonight, just in time to meet 2017. New Year’s day is a relaxed one for us unless we have some visitors, sometimes relatives and friends.
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Happy New Year Arlene.
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Happy New Year to you too Elizabeth.
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Where I live, people act crazy celebrating the new year. They get drunk, shoot off fireworks, fire guns into the air. Or they go to New Year’s Eve parties, drink too much, and then drive home drunk. It’s terrible. We stay at home and welcome the new year by calling our daughter and her family on the telephone. Even when I was young, I didn’t like new year’s celebrations. The traditional New Year’s Day meal here in the American South is pork, collard greens or turnip greens, black-eyed peas, and cornbread. We will go to mass on New Year’s Day and then my father will join us for the noon meal.
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We do celebrate it differently. so sad they have to get drunk to celebrate New Year there. Media Noche is a simple meal prepared for the family which we partake of right after shouting, jumping with joy and watching the countdown on TV. We do look at the fireworks from our window. Best regards to Ben. Happy 2017 to your family.
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Thank you. Happy 2017 to you and your family!
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I miss New Year in the Philippines. It’s so so alive! I don’t participate in fireworks, only in superstition 😄. I say cherish it, even just the mini celebration of family because New Year in the Philippines is unlike any other places. New Year celebrations in other countries I’ve been to are, to be honest, rather boring.
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Well, I think we do celebrate New Year always with a bang – the food, the fireworks, the noise of torotot and everything. Have a blessed, happy and joyous New Year Rommel.
Thank you!
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The New Year celebration sounds awesome. I hope that you have a wonderful 2017.
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Yes it was Sheryl, thank you. Happy New Year to you 🙂
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