Holiday Traditions in Saipan

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Its holiday time and most of us have time off for Christmas and New Years. I was able to take a day off after Christmas so I can catch up on some sleep. It is always hard to sleep when you’re too excited for the holidays. If you’re like me, you look forward to the food more than the gifts.

Mt. Carmel Cathedral church, Saipan
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Growing up in the islands, my mom created a tradition to make homemade dinner for Christmas while we got ready for mass. We were Catholics so we attended Christmas mass around 7pm that usually ended around 9pm. In Philippines, this is called “Simbang Gabi” which means “mass or church at night or evening.” It was the longest mass of the year but we were able to get to church which was surrounded by tons of people who either have not attended mass all year or wanted to attend this special mass that lasted a couple hours. I always enjoyed going to mass during Christmas Eve because of what we do afterwards.

My mom and dad were always excited to give us a gift that we either wanted or needed. My sister and I always made a homemade card for our parents and worked together to get each of them a present that they needed. My dad was always the type to open his Christmas present after New Year’s Day so he can say he got the greatest gift ever. My sister and I would then stay up until we got tired to enjoy the holidays together. We also would stay up and then go see our friends who were at home.

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During New Years Eve, my whole family would stay up and get their fireworks ready for when it hit midnight. It is legal to light up fireworks in Saipan and although it was dangerous, my sister and I would have the tradition and save up for the fireworks we wanted to light up at midnight. We would save the fireworks and share it with our friends and family too.

When my father passed in early 2012, it was devastating and both my mother and sister were trying their best to keep the tradition alive. It was hard because my sister lived in Guam at the time while I lived in Saipan with my mom. Since my dad was no longer around, I tried my best to keep the tradition alive. I helped my mom make the food while I also asked my sister to help me with picking out the best Christmas gift for our mom. It was hard because we felt that emptiness that our father filled while he was still alive.

Our father taught us to live in the moment and worry about the future tomorrow. This was not always a good thing because it tore us apart. Our father had left us with a family business that was drowning in debt which I ran for a while until my mother was able to manage it without my help. After my mom got back on her feet, I was able to finish my education and help her out too. It was not until then that I realized that my dad taught me how to live in the moment because he was not sure what the future would hold. There was never a time where he never showed us he loved us. We made our own traditions to have family dinner on Sundays so we are able to hang out with our friends on the weekdays. He was always an optimist which I probably got from him. My mom was always critical about the future and that’s what made them equals.

My mom was always the person who planned the events while my dad helped her execute it. They were great lifelong partners and I am glad they were able to cherish the moments as long as they could together. My sister and I were always the opposite growing up. She was always the outgoing person that could stay out as long as she could while I was always out with her making sure she is safe and sound. I was always critical of her actions growing up which is what I do until this day.

Anyway, our tradition still continues because my sister is in Saipan with my mom for New Years. My mom is making her traditional Filipino dish of pancit and barbeque ribs. Growing up in the islands, we would always make barbeque ribs because our family had a homemade marinade that was so delicious. My sister and I learned to make the marinade and tried our best to create the same homemade ribs that mom and dad made during the holidays. I wish I can show you the food we made but I had gotten my phone stolen at some point a year ago which had all my family pictures. Anyway, here is a picture of the pancit I made for Thanksgiving.

This year, I am in Massachusetts which is now my home. The dish that we usually have includes ham, pork, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans and chicken. I do miss the holiday made pancit and barbeque which my mom and sister will enjoy this season. They will definitely enjoy the food on my behalf.

This is an example of what my plate would look like.
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I just wanted to share our family traditions with you all. What are your traditions during the holidays? Not just for Christmas but other holidays as well. I look forward to hearing all about yours.

Although this is not a life hack for my Thursday post, I will come back next week with something helpful for you to use. Please be safe this holiday season and if you live in a cold place I hope you stay warm and keep smiling. For the others that live in a warm climate, I hope you stay cool this holiday season.

Thanks for stopping by. Stay tuned for more posts about women in technology every other week, some tech tips on Tuesday, and some life hacks on Thursdays.

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