01 December 2015 - The Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur will celebrate the Christmas season with several events aimed at bringing together Filipino nationals during the festive season and also showcasing the Philippine Christmas traditions in Malaysia.

“We wish to share Christmas joy, the Filipino way, to our Malaysian friends and to our Filipino compatriots who cannot be home in the Philippines in the most festive of our holidays,” Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia J. Eduardo Malaya said.

There will be the nine-day Holy Masses, reminiscent of the Filipino Simbang Gabi (dawn masses), which will be held at the Embassy grounds every 7 p.m. from December 01 to December 09. The Simbang Gabi is the nine-day novena masses traditionally held at dawn starting on December 16, which serves as the preparation for the birth of Jesus Christ.

The first Simbang Gabi mass will be celebrated by the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, Most Reverend Julian Low Beng Kim. 

The masses are a joint project of the Embassy and the Federation of Filipino Associations in Malaysia (FFAM), chaired by Ms. Mechie Añonuevo.

The Embassy and the Filipino community will also have a Christmas concert entitled Pamaskong Handog to be held on December 06 at the Amphitheatre of the Kompleks Kraft in Kuala Lumpur. 

Featured in the concert are Manila-based artists Jay-R and Suy Galvez and talents from the Filipino community. Corporate sponsors for the event are PLDT-SME Nation, Smart Pinoy, LBC, Western Union, Cebu Pacific and the Filipino Businessmen and Professionals Caucus (FBPC).  

Those visiting the Embassy have noticed that parols (Christmas lanterns) are already up at the main Chancery building and at the gazebo. The lanterns are courtesy of the San Fernando City Government. 

Giant versions of these parols will be lighted up during a Christmas Open House on December 11, to be attended by members of the diplomatic corps, Malaysian government officials and businessmen and leaders of the Filipino community.

The parol, traditionally shaped as a star, symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem, which illuminated the Child Jesus and his family, and guided the shepherds and the Three Wise Men to their location to offer their gifts.

During the open house, there will be a Christmas concert featuring Filipino talents in Malaysia, notably singer-songwriter Rachel Guerzo, singer-actress Maria Jazsmine, and musicians Willy Rebaño, Maria Rebaño and Lipraxedes Jumawan, among others.  END