By Joshua Corcuera
The so-called ber months are coming, and every Filipino knows what this means. Christmas decorations would fill the streets, children would be caroling at night, and Jose Mari Chan’s voice would be heard over town again. But there’s something unsettling, though, for the holidays this 2020: there’s a pandemic ravaging through the country. As a result, there are several uncertainties and questions on how the holidays will be celebrated, and how welcoming Christmas and New Year will drastically change this 2020 compared to previous years.
Holidays as celebrated by Filipinos
Before guessing how we would welcome the holidays this year, it’s essential to look at how we celebrated the same event in the past. There is no denying that Christmas is the most widely celebrated occurrence every year in the Philippines. It’s similar to America’s Thanksgiving and China’s Spring Festival or what we call Chinese New Year. And just like those celebrations, Christmas is supposedly a joyful and euphoric day and it has always been that way for the most part. As we can see, young children go out to the streets caroling, while others go to their ninongs and ninangs to receive their aguinaldo. Moreover, some families spend Christmas day bonding with their family while having picnics in parks and green spaces. While others go with the flow of modernization as they watch movies in malls.
Given the circumstances we are in, however, it’s very likely that this year’s celebration won’t be the same. But there were also times in history where holidays were welcomed differently. During the Second World War, the constant threat of bombings caused economic activity to decline and people stayed inside their homes as well. In spite of their clear suffering, people still welcomed celebratory events such as Christmas and New Year full of hope.
How will we welcome the holidays
With the coronavirus still ravaging as September nears, and no ending in sight for the pandemic, we can reasonably say that COVID-19 is the Grinch of this Christmas. But still, this should not be a hindrance or an obstacle towards welcoming the holidays. Even though there are a lot of devastating things that happened this year, simply being with our family and friends is still a good idea that can somehow alleviate our suffering and uplift our spirits for a while.
Of course, we should still acknowledge and get rid of the challenges that lie ahead. And we should not only hope, but also do our part in actions towards ending our social suffering. But taking a short rest is also needed, after all, we’re humans, not robots or machines. Whether or not the tides change in our favor, the holidays would still come and would be welcomed as we have always done. And as we suffer during these times, we could also hope and do what we can — just as our ancestors did — for an immediate return to normalcy which will be the best gift for the holidays.
As we welcome 2021, never forget lessons from 2020
Even in the darkest of hours, there are still lessons we can learn and insights we can gain from it. During prosperous years or times of suffering, the new year is a symbol of a new start and is a chance for ending mortal struggles. When we welcome 2021, we must still continue our fight not only in beating the coronavirus, but also emerging victorious overall issues that plague society — such as poverty, inequality, corruption, human rights violations, and climate change to name a few. And the lessons we learned from 2020 must never be forgotten for it can be used to guide generations in the future to keep society moving forward. It is essential for all of us to reflect on all the experiences — sweet or bitter — that we encounter.
