How Kiwi Filipinos from the Cordillera celebrate Christmas

A lover of the Philippines, in 2020 Bethany Waugh accepted an invitation from a Filipino community in mid-Canterbury to celebrate Christmas with them. There, she learned the stories of many hard-working Filipino and Filipina who have left everything behind to make a new life in Aotearoa. For Christmas 2021, Waugh recalls the festivities and her special  experience.

The author, meeting the president of the local diaspora association | Photo: Supplied

I love the Philippines. The food, the culture, the beaches, and most importantly the people who have welcomed me there with a warm ‘Mabuhay’ during the four separate occasions that I visited in the past few years.

Over the past year I was working on research for my honours dissertation that focused on how Filipino migrants from ethnic minority groups practice their culture in Aotearoa New Zealand.

As part of this I was invited by a Canterbury-based diaspora group from the Cordilleran region of the Philippines to their 2020 Christmas party, which was hosted in Rakaia (just south of Christchurch). It was during this party that I rediscovered the vibrant beauty of Filipino ethnic minority culture just an hour away from where I grew up in South Canterbury, New Zealand.

The party gathering | Photo: Supplied

When I think of Christmas in Aotearoa, my mind settles on the smell of roasting vegetables, the sound of paper tearing as presents are opened, the laughter of my siblings as they throw banter around, and the summer sun beckoning me to either go outdoors or seek air-conditioned shelter.

When I think of the Christmas season that I experienced in the Philippines, I think of elaborately decorated malls, Christmas delicacies like Puto Bumbong, and carol concerts full of singing children. This party was nothing like either of those experiences, and had its own unique atmosphere, though there was plenty of pot-luck-style feasting and carol singing.

After carolling, a short sermon in Ilocano, and lunch, the party began as a group of men picked up seven brass gongs and began to beat out a joyous bright rhythm. Once the rhythm was established the men began to dance while playing the gongs, following the lead player as he stepped, ducked, and formed the group into a circle. At this point the ladies created their own circle around the outside of the musicians and joined the dance, using different wide arm movements and steps to complement the men’s section.

They invited me into the circle and though I couldn’t quite get the hang of the footwork, I was swept up in this energetic dance. Everyone was full of joy and laughed when they accidentally made mistakes or missed the beat.

Cordilleran carol singers | Photo: Supplied

These kinds of dances happened sporadically throughout the event, interspersed with hilarious party games like sack racing, a Pictionary relay, and a banana-eating challenge for couples.

The ladies explained to me that the different arm movements they used for the dancing were from the different tribal areas of their Cordilleran homeland: Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, and Benguet.

As the day turned into evening I keenly anticipated the next time the men would pick up the gongs. Each time they would try out a different rhythm and experiment with their playing styles, and I would join the women in trying to match what they were doing.

People had travelled from the nearby towns of Leeston, Christchurch, Methven, Ashburton, and Timaru to be at this event, which was held in Rakaia. I enjoyed meeting the different groups and hearing about their experiences with migrating to New Zealand, their work here as dairy farmers and construction workers, and their optimism in spite of the pandemic.

The event was low-key and homey, a celebration of Christmas, of shared heritage, and of family near and far, finishing with an exchange of gifts via classic games of passing presents and trading for the thing you wanted.  

A piece of the Philippines | Photo: Supplied

I was an outsider and had only met the one person who had invited me to the event prior to that day, but I felt so welcomed and included, which really did make me feel like a little piece of the Philippines was here, hiding away amid the farms of mid-Canterbury. Kiwi Filipinos from the Cordillera celebrate Christmas by blending together the best of all their worlds and enjoying each other’s company in feasting and dancing, no matter the weather or how far they have to travel.

They told me that whenever Cordillerans gather, both in the Philippines and in Aotearoa, the first thing they want to do is play the gongs and dance together, as it reminds them of who they are. I was privileged to join them and to be the guest of these wonderful people.

I came away from the party with new friends, nuanced insights into their culture, and a passion to tell their stories. The stories of resilient Cordillerans who have made their new home in Aotearoa New Zealand but still love to speak their languages, celebrate their cultures, and move to the sound of the bright brass gongs.

 - Asia Media Centre