“Maligayang Pasko” & More Useful Christmas Words In Tagalog

Believe it or not, the Christmas season starts as early as September in the Philippines. Not that December lasts about four months in Filipino time; it’s just that Filipinos love the heartwarming feels of the yuletide season, so Christmas there is celebrated for a bit longer.

Another reason why Christmas starts really early could be… because September ends in the suffix -ber. If you’ve paid close attention, both months (September and December) rhyme. The -ber endings are really just code for Christmas time. From September to December, the holiday cheer is all around.

Christmas is one of the most important celebrations in the Philippines. While many traditions and festivities happen in between, it is the Christmas spirit and magic that is truly special to many Filipinos around the world.

• Merry Christmas: Maligayang Pasko (mah-lee-ga-yang pas-ko)
• Christmas: Pasko (pas-ko)
• fireworks: paputok (pah-pu-tok)
• snow: niyebe (nee-yeh-beh)
• angel: anghel (ang-hel)
• Christmas lantern: parol (pa-rol)
• Nativity scene: belen (be-len)
• Christmas day: araw ng Pasko (ah-raw nang pas-ko)
• stocking: medyas (med-yas)
• guest, visitor: bisita (bee-see-tah)
• candle: kandila (kan-di-lah)
• cheese ball: queso de bola (keh-soh de boh-lah)
• The Three Kings: ang tatlong hari (ang tat-long ha-ri)
• Midnight mass: Misa de Gallo (mi-sa de ga-yoh)
• night mass: Simbang Gabi (sim-bang gah-bi)
• elf: duwende (du-wen-deh)
• chestnuts: kastanyas (kas-tan-yas)
• bell: kampana (kam-pa-na)
• Christmas Eve: Bisperas ng Pasko (bis-pe-ras nang pas-ko)
• monetary Christmas gift: aguinaldo (ah-gi-nal-doh)
• Christmas gift: pamasko (pa-mas-koh)
• Christmas Eve feast: Noche Buena (no-che bwe-na)
• stars: mga bituin (ma-nga bit-win)
• church: simbahan (sim-ba-han)
• hot chocolate: tsokolate (cho-ko-la-teh)
• ornaments: mga palamuti (ma-nga pa-la-moo-ti)
• Saint Nicholas: San Nikolas (san ni-ko-las)
• it’s Christmas again: Pasko na naman (pas-ko na na-man)
• December: Disyembre (dis-yem-breh)
• Christmas caroling: karoling (kah-roh-ling)