Christmas Countdown: "Pangangaroling"

It's six days before Christmas, and we delve into the tradition of pangangaroling. Groups of children visit houses in the neighborhood singing Christmas carols using makeshift instruments such as drums made of biscuit cans and tambourines made of aluminum bottle caps.

The children wait for the homeowners to reward them with coins and other treats. Homeowners may opt not to give anything, telling the children, "Patatawarin!"


The children's closing line typically comes in two forms:

"Thank you, thank you, ang babait ninyo (you are so generous), thank you!"

"Thank you, thank you, ang babarat ninyo (you are so stingy), thank you!"


Formal carollers perform pangangaroling to raise funds for various causes. They may also inform the homeowners ahead about the carolling. Most of the time, they rehearsed for the performance and prepared suitable apparel and instruments.