MANILA, Philippines — Can you feel the cheer and magic of Christmas in the air?
Filipinos are renowned worldwide for celebrating the longest Christmas. In the Philippines, the merry countdown to Christmas begins on the first day of September.
In a tribute to the Filipino tradition, United States Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson tweeted a photo of her together with Jose Mari Chan, considered the symbol of Philippines Christmas, on Friday.
“An image you can hear. Whenever I see Jose Mari Chan, it means the ber months — and the wonderful holiday season in the Philippines — has begun,” Carlson quipped.
Singer-music composer Chan is well-known for his hit songs Christmas in Our Hearts and A Perfect Christmas.
On the other hand, European Union Ambassador to the Philippines Luc Veron embraced the Christmas ambiance by partaking in bibingka and puto bumbong — two of the country’s iconic and quintessential Filipino delicacies commonly savored throughout the Christmas season.
“[There’s no] better way to start Christmas this September 1st in the Philippines than [by] buying Nicole some Bibingka, Puto Bumbong, and listening to some Ben and Ben music,” Veron tweeted.
The EU ambassador is referring to Ben and Ben’s song titled Bibingka. The song tells the joy of spending a Filipino-themed Christmas with a loved one.
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