Niños Inocentes: Holy Innocents' Day or Childermas is commemorated on 28 December as Niños Inocentes. Filipinos once celebrated the day by playing practical jokes on one another, similar to April fools Day. One of the widely practiced pranks on this day is to borrow money without the intention of paying back. Creditors are usually helpless in getting remuneration from borrower, and are instead forewarned not to lend money on this day. Victims of such pranks were once called out, "Na-Niños Inocentes ka!"
New Year's Eve: On 31 December 31 ("Bisperas ng Bagong Taon"), Filipino families gather for the Media Noche – a midnight feast that also supposedly symbolises their hopes for prosperity in the coming year. Filipinos make noise both to greet the New Year and in the belief that the din casts out malevolent spirits. In spite of the yearly ban, people in most towns and cities light firecrackers, with safer methods of merrymaking being banging on pots and pans and blowing car horns. Other traditions and beliefs include encouraging children to jump at the stroke of midnight to increase their height; displaying circular fruit; wearing clothes with dots and other circular designs to symbolise money; eating twelve grapes at midnight for good luck in the twelve months of the year, and opening all windows and doors on New Year's Day to let in blessings.
Three Kings' Day: Christmas officially ends on Epiphany Day, more commonly known as Three Kings' Day (Spanish: Día de los Tres Reyes; Tagalog: Araw ng Tatlóng mga Harì). Three Kings' was once observed on 6 January (Twelfth Night) but is now held on the first Sunday after New Year's Day. A dying practice is the Hispanic customs of having children leave their shoes out by the window, so that the Three Kings can leave gifts like candy or money inside.
Feast of the Black Nazarene: Since 2011, the Catholic Church mandated that the season end on the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus held on either the Monday after Epiphany or the second Sunday of the year. Final festivities are held on 8 and 9 January with processions of the miraculous Black Nazarene in Manila and Cagayan de Oro. These are in honour of the image's 1787 traslación (transfer) to its present shrine in its basilica in Quiapo District, which was then a separate town.
Feast of the Santo Niño: The latest possible celebrations are on Feast of the Santo Niño (Christ Child) every third Sunday of January. The image most associated with this day is the purportedly miraculous Santo Niño de Cebú, the first Christian icon brought to the islands. In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan came to Cebú and gave the image as a gift to Humamay, the chief wife of the local monarch, Raja Humabon, when the royal couple and their subjects were christened.
By Dale Sasis