Year comes to a head

Today is the first day of the last month of the year, a month that is inextricably linked with Christmas. True it is that Christmas comes only once a year, but equally true is that the preparations for the celebration start as early as late November and end on the first Sunday of January which is the feast of the Three Kings. During Spanish times, Christmas gifts were given during the Epiphany for it was when the Child received gifts from the Three Wise Men from the East, who later became known as the Three Kings. It was only during the American period that gifts got to be exchanged during Christmas day and Santa Claus took the place of the Three Kings.

Filipinos reputedly have the longest Christmas celebration in the world, but it officially starts with the dawn Masses on December 16. That is a custom that we acquired from Mexico. They don’t have dawn Masses in Spain.

It is very interesting to see the month of December from a historical perspective. On December 1, 1749, the Sultan of Sulu expressed his desire to be converted to the Catholic religion. Governor-General Arrechederra, with the approval of Msgr. Pedro de la Santisima Trinidad, appointed a commission to instruct Sultan Ali Mudin on the tenets of the Catholic faith. The results can be seen in the present situation in Sulu.

The destruction of the World Trade Center in New York took place last September. But the bombings of Pearl Harbor happened at the start of the second week of December in 1941. It was not only Pearl Harbor that was bombed, but Baguio, Davao and Clark Field. The next day, the Japanese landed at several points in Luzon and bombing raids took place in different parts of the archipelago. And two days later Manila and the bases at Neilsen, Nichols and Sangley became the center of the air raids. By December 11, the Japanese had landed 2500 soldiers in Legazpi, Albay, followed by another landing in Lingayen, Pangasinan on the 22nd of December. On Christmas Eve, President Manuel L. Quezon was forced to transfer the seat of the Commonwealth government to Corregidor. The day after Christmas, General Douglas McArthur declared Manila an open city. That was the worst December in our country’s history.

The month of December commemorates two great events – the Nativity of our Lord and the martyrdom of our greatest hero – Jose Rizal. The trial of Rizal began on December 6, 1896 and he was sentenced to death the day after Christmas by a military court. Two days later, Governor-General Polaviaje confirmed his death sentence and he was shot on December 30. So Rizal Day was commemorated between Christmas and New Year.

We don’t know what kind of Christmas to expect under the present situation. We are undergoing an economic crisis and we have terrorists who are bent on making things worse than they are. The Christmas message is "Peace on earth and goodwill towards all men." The message of the terrorist is "Anything but peace and progress." What a way to end the year.