A Filipino Christmas in Paris

PARIS, FRANCE – How do Filipinos in Paris spend their Christmas away from home?

Ana Santos files this video blog.

It’ s a well-known secret that Filipinos love Christmas. We love it so much that we start celebrating as early as September in the Philippines. But what about our overseas Filipino workers who have to celebrate this joyous season away from family and away from home?

We spent some time with the Filipino community in Paris to see how they are adding a Filipino touch to an otherwise Parisian Christmas.

As they say, you can take the Filipino away from the Philippines, but you can’t take the Philippines away from the Filipino – even when in a city like Paris. In typical Pinoy fashion, Christmas celebrations had lots of singing, dancing and of course, food.

People jumped to their feet with May Blanco’s rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’”. The 8-year-old Blanco guested at the concert of Filipino band, Aegis, when they held a concert in Paris last November.

RONNIE DELA CRUZ, PASTORAL COUNCIL COORDINATOR OF PHILIPPINE CATHOLIC MISSION PARIS: Kung ano ang tradisyon natin sa Pilipinas tulad ng Simbang Gabi ay pinagdiriwang din namin dito sa Paris. (Traditions that we celebrate in the Philippines like Dawn Mass, we also celebrate here in Paris.)

At the Christmas Party of Kababaihan ni Rizal, or “The Ladies of Rizal” as they like to fondly call themselves, there was overflowing karaoke, raffle prizes and food.

MARIA THERESA LAZARO, PHILIPPINE AMBASSADOR TO FRENCH REPUBLIC: Pag nasa Pilipinas ka, kasama nila pamilya nila pero kami na nasa labas, we’re trying to make do with Christmas parties like this one. Pinaka-importante dito yung camaraderie. They gather around and talk about the things that siguro kung nasa Pilipinas sila, magagawa nila (When you’re in the Philippines, you’re with your family. But for those of us far away, we make do with Christmas parties like this one. The most important thing here is the camaraderie. They gather around to talk about the things that they could be doing if they were in the Philippines.)

These distinctly Pinoy Christmas festivities offer a touch of home and make all the difference to the Filipinos who have to celebrate the holidays away from those dearest to them. Celebrating with fellow Filipinos who have become like extended family members gives meaning to the season.

Majority of the more than 50,000 Filipinos who live in France are undocumented workers who cannot leave the country and often spend as long as 10 years without seeing the family that they work so hard to provide for.

ALEX MANAPAT, OFW IN PARIS: Dinadaos namin ang Pasko namin dito sa Paris na kahit malungkot kasi malayo sa pamilya. (Christmas here in Paris is sad for us because we cannot be with our families, but we get by.)

– Rappler.com

This project was supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting under the Persephone Miel Fellowship.