The Philippines is known for having the best (and longest) Christmas celebrations in the world. Our cherished traditions include Simbang Gabi and caroling of youth groups at neighborhoods. But did you know that we also have a unique Christmas tradition in this Southeast Asian archipelago?
This is Panunulúyan, or Panulúyan in short, which is a dramatization of the events leading up to the first Christmas in Bethlehem, as well as the nativity scene itself.
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| A lineup of the characters that led the Panunulúyan on the evening of Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024. Taken with permission. |
For this year, I traveled a hundred kilometers south of the capital Metro Manila to Ibaan, a small town in the province of Batangas, for our annual holiday visit with our family and some of my friends in the province.
The Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of St. James the Greater, a Spanish colonial-era church founded in 1832, is the main focus of this blog. Every Christmas Eve, its youth organization, the Joseph Marello Youth (JMY), hosts the annual nativity play before the Midnight Mass of Christmas. It does also host a multitude of activities as well, especially during Holy Week and Easter, where they do the Pagdagit and Pagbati traditions on Easter Sunday.
I first gained interest in attending the Panunulúyan a year earlier, in 2023; I included this at the last minute on my itinerary. I would eventually embrace this as an important and a must-attend event before the grand liturgical Christmas celebrations.
Overview
Panunulúyan is modeled after Las Posadas, a tradition which originated in Mexico. According to a report by the late Alejandro Roces on The Philippine Star, Las Posadas is a novena which parallels with our very own Simbang Gabi in terms of dates. In Mexico, each night, children would look for houses, acting as "inns", in search for lodging. However, in the Philippines, Panunulúyan is an hour-long play, dramatizing the events leading up to the first Christmas in Bethlehem.
It is performed in various provinces and schools, as well as some Metro Manila parishes including the churches of Quiapo and Baclaran, the journey of Joseph and the pregnant Virgin Mary in search of lodging is re-enacted by youth groups, from the Annunciation to the Visitation, from Joseph’s dream to the events leading to Bethlehem and the visitation of the Three Kings. Other churches would host a chorale concert a few hours before their respective Midnight Masses.
In Ibaan, Batangas, the Panunulúyan is performed as a musical play, where the main characters would sing on most occasions.
List of characters (2024 edition)
- Jhanna Angela A. Reyes – Mary
- Manuel Niño A. Buenafe – Joseph
- Rose Ann C. Sanggalang – Elizabeth
- Zian Lordy M. Magtibay – Archangel Gabriel
- THE THREE KINGS:
- Jed Javier
- Roi Vincent Pateña
- Edmar Visto
- Erick Soriano – Baste (Apo)
- Maria Precious Anika Roxas – Collete (Apo)
- Jonabelle Soria – Lola
Event summary and synopsis
Introduction
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| The scene of the Panunulúyan in 2024: characters portraying as a simple community performing a dance number. |
The Panunulúyan in Ibaan, Batangas, for the year 2024, started at 20:31, around half an hour behind schedule. It started with a short skit involving a simple community; a newspaper vendor comes to the scene before other vendors start their character roles. A homecoming scene then folds in, where a woman with a suitcase reunites with her family. The main characters for this play show at an elevated platform. All characters (including those at the main stage) then show off a dance number.
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| Characters portraying as a lola (left) with her apo, Baste (middle) and Collete (right). |
Our attention is then diverted to a little girl (Collete) playing with her teddy bear toy, who then goes to a little boy (Baste). Collete asks Baste if he wants to play with her, but he tells her that he pondered why there is Christmas. He does not know the true meaning of Christmas. Collete then talks about her crush, but a "lola" (or "grandma") comes to interrupt the kids.
The lola interrogates the kids on their supposed "tsimis", telling them to prioritize their studies first. The conversation then shifts to their knowledge about Christmas, where Collete tells the lola that Baste only knows how to "pamasko" (or do caroling from house to house). The lola then tells the kids to always go to catechism sessions so that they would learn more on the liturgy of the Church. She then instructs the kids to listen and look back at the biblical stories leading to the Nativity of Jesus Christ.
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| A speech choir does a simultaneous chant before the Annunciation scene and narrative. |
A fifteen-member speech choir then goes to the stage for a "sabayang pagbasa" about the introduction to the biblical events leading to the nativity.
Annunciation and Visitation
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| The Annunciation scene of the Panunulúyan, depicting the Archangel Gabriel appearing to Mary. |
At 20:38, the stage transforms to the first biblical scene. Mary goes to a makeshift well, but the Archangel Gabriel appears from behind. There, Gabriel sings a quote from Luke 1:28, addressing it to Mary.
However, three minutes later, the rain suddenly intensified during the Annunciation scene. Some guests quickly brought out their umbrellas (which I did, too), while others rushed to a covered area (especially the church interior itself). A day prior (December 23), news outlets reported a possible moderate to heavy rainfall in some provinces due to a shear line and the northeast monsoon (amihan).
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| Mary and Elizabeth hug each other during the Visitation scene. |
Disregarding my calls to the program directors to stop the program, it continued until the depiction of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. After Mary and Elizabeth exchanged their dialogues, six female dancers holding candles on their hands then danced in front of the two girls while the Magnificat was sung.
Program stopped due to RAIN!
A program stoppage was then announced at 20:49 as the rain further worsened. I was thinking if the program would be cancelled, and if it did, their hard work would be wasted. Another option I was also thinking is that they can continue the program inside the church.
In Ibaan, the parish church is not big enough to accommodate thousands of guests for big events. Hence, if the weather permits, they hold events for Christmas Eve (including the Midnight Mass of Christmas) outside, at the parish patio. This also serves as the parking area for vehicles. This is also where they hold events for Easter Sunday, including the first Mass at 04:00, followed by the Pagdagit and the Sayaw ng Pagbati.
The producers and directors announced its resumption at 21:04, without the backdrop of the Star of Bethlehem as well as the stable.
Saint Joseph's dreams
The program officially resumed at 21:17 inside the church.
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| Characters portraying Saint Joseph's dream at the resumption of the program inside the church. |
The Gospel narrative according to Matthew 1:20-22 was then performed, where the Archangel Gabriel appears to Joseph in his dream. According to scripture, he did what the angel told him and brought Mary into his home.
The speech choir was back to announce the transition from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
Mary and Joseph searches for lodging, and the birth of Jesus
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| Mary and Joseph at the already-prepared stable; Mary is seen holding the image of the infant Jesus. |
At 21:22, Mary and Joseph processed down the center aisle. They then request two "owners of the house" for lodging; both requests were denied. The couple then feels sad and disheartened. An already-prepared stable is then unveiled as the choir sings a chant. They then rush to the stable as Mary was about to give birth. They then hold an image of the Baby Jesus before the Three Kings offer their gifts. Mary and Joseph then take their own turns to hold the image and sing a chant related to the nativity.
At 21:38, the lola and their apo returns to the scene, concluding the story of the Nativity of Jesus. After some dialogues, they started a countdown as if midnight was fast approaching. A five-minute performance from the dancers then followed before the final curtain call culminated the presentation at 21:55, almost an hour behind schedule.
The Midnight Mass of Christmas soon followed at 22:16; it ended at 23:53.
My take in this program
I was blown away and amazed by the direction and style of the play. Combined with the exceptional performances of those involved in the program, this made everyone amazed. I give this show a perfect 5/5 STARS!
A huge congratulations to Joseph Marello Youth of Ibaan, Batangas, guided under the supervision of its overall director, Mark Justine R. Mendoza!
Merry Christmas, viewers!
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