New Immigrant Interpreter Shares Festivals in Hometown; Four Months of Christmas Celebration in the Philippines

Christmas in Taiwan is typically associated with gift-exchanging on December 25 and red and green decorations. But for new immigrants from the Philippines, Christmas is a four-month festival.

Chen, Mi-Mi, a new immigrant interpreter from the Philippines, recently served as a lecturer for the "New Immigrants Domestic Education and Law Promotion" course at National Immigration Agency (Taipei City First Service Center), introducing the unique Christmas culture of the Philippines. According to Chen Mi-Mi that for Filipinos, Christmas is as important as the Taiwanese New Year. No one in the world celebrates Christmas better than Filipinos.

Christmas celebrations in the Philippines typically begin in September and last through December, hence the term "Ber Months." Significant events include the nine-day series of masses (Simbang Gabi), Epiphany, the Black Nazarene Feast, and Holy Child will be held in various locations during these four months. When it comes to diet during the festivals, eating sweet cakes has the meaning of family intimacy, eating pasta in food represents longevity, and round fruits will be prepared, which means to attract wealth and treasure, which is similar to the Taiwanese custom. The streets are filled with a strong Christmas atmosphere that expresses gratitude for the harvest of the past year.

Chen, Mi-Mi who excels in English, traveled to Taiwan to study Chinese. She was given the opportunities to work in Taiwan following the course because of her exceptional language skills, and she also gained a ton of experience in the trades. She settled in after married to her husband.

The director of Taipei City Service Center, Su, Hui-Wen, Christmas and the New Year’s Eve are approaching. While enjoying delicious food, you must also guard against African swine fever. New immigrants should not ask relatives and friends to send meat products from abroad, or illegally bring pork-related products from abroad to avoid fines. In addition, although the recent COVID-19 epidemic has slowed down, personal protective measures are still advised implemented, such as hand hygiene, cough etiquette, and wearing masks indoors to protect one’s own health.