Traditional Christmas Greeting: "Maligayang Pasko"
Location: Pacific Rim
Tree Type: Traditional

Decorations:
- Ornaments made of Capiz shells, rattan and palm leaves
- The star lantern (parol) is made out of strips of bamboo tied with wire and covered with cellophane or Japanese paper. This covering is pasted onto the frame with a paste made from starch and water. The star is formed from aluminum foil and trimmings are attached to the star. The star is placed inside the lantern. The bottom of the lantern is left open so a candle or gas lamp can be inserted for light. Sometimes the lantern is placed on top of the tree.
- The star lantern (parol) is the basic symbol of the Christmas season. It is found in every part of the Philippines. The parol is the Philippino interpretation of the Mexican pinata. The star lantern comes in all sizes, the most common being a small one hung over a window. It is also hung in churches and at midnight mass it is released to slide down the choir loft to the altar.

Traditions:
In the Philippines, lanterns known as parols usually signal the start of the Christmas season. These lanterns are suspended above the streets and found in every window of most homes and stores. They are usually made from colored paper or thin plastic covering a bamboo frame. With the lights that illuminate them from within, parols begin the season brightly.

Nine days before Christmas, people in the Philippines attend the late Miso de Gallo, or dawn Mass of the Rooster. The priest tells the story of Christ's birth at this service, which announces the nine-day novena before Christmas. During these nine days, carolers called cumbancheros go from door to door singing Philippino Christmas songs. Belen, or manger scenes, are also set up and displayed in many homes and churches.

When Christmas Eve comes, it brings plays called panunuluyan to each community. These shows reenact Joseph and Mary's journey to Bethlehem before Jesus' birth, and usually feature the lack of hospitality they encountered on the way. Most families also attend a midnight mass together before sitting down for the holiday meal.

This meal, called Noche Buena, usually features roast pig as the main course, along with puto bumbong (rice steamed inside a bamboo tube), bibingka (rice cake with eggs, brown sugar, and fresh coconut), colacion (cooked fruit), and salabat (ginger tea). Gifts are often exchanged after dinner, and Christmas day is spent visiting family and friends.