A December to Remember: Celebrating Triple Occasions At One Time

Hello again hivers! Sorry that it’s been so long since I last updated the blog. In order to make it up for you all, I have found something for you to read. I also wish that you can have great moments with your loved ones during your holidays. As for me, I had so much.  December 25 is a special day for us. Apart that it is Christmas day. It is also the day of our annual barangay fiesta. So, the family also chose to celebrate thanksgiving for my sister since she passed her licensure exam on being a professional teacher. It is no coincidence that exactly on December 25,2023 ---  It is the day we decided to return home in province. Me and my siblings gathered our belongings to bring along with us in the province. Being that we do have a commute and therefore arrive at the terminal early enough to catch the bus. Not surprisingly, most are also waiting for buses to take them back home in their provinces.   Finally, after an hour we saw the bus. So we started to travel right at 10. Two and a half hour trip now took longer as the heavy traffic pushed it up to an average of almost four.  I also have not much to say about our trips because the fact is that due to my light dizziness, as a rule goes off. When I was opening my eyes from sleep, it was when we arrived home.  During the night, we decided to watch variety show and it is indeed full of laughters.   --- To freshly start the day, together with my sibling, we decided to took a bath where water is unlimited.   On the evening, there is a recreation activity held at the gym to have fun prior to the annual fiesta. During that time, there was Pasundayag sa Obo where people from the barangay compete through dance with a theme retro and modern dance. It is indeed full of surprises and fun as they are showcasing a unique set of talents and skills at dancing.  Each team is composed of dancers coming from different purok or sitio, but all participants are from within our barangay. I am so proud of our purok (Purok Siloy) as they are the champions and most of the members are my friends.  https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/digdeeper2/Ep5mny4zda494UVxAYDbCMuxmUjBksUYds85wSHzyccmBMWyrN48xRqauNwaJpQ1YGJ.jpg We prepare for tomorrow’s big day at home after the program. We washed everything and clean the house, hanging some curtains and decorations. While that is going on, my fathers and our neighbors are also busy butchering a pig (I was not only able to capture the picture of them). --- Special visitors began arriving in the morning when still early. https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/digdeeper2/EoyRvnkRhvzy5rdYjgEG9Vn6nvsU8KCFH84TRSB4U9VauzYDtyBSSsrucPJH32JUo6v.jpeg My sister's common law partner pledged for a lechon as a promised to my sister if she will passed the exam and yes she made it. Here we are for taking pictures together since it is our first time having a huge lechon on the table.     Look at those precious smiles on our faces. We are having a great time here. Indeed, this is a very worth keeping moments we had together. We celebrated together as a complete family. During the night, my family is preparing, so we can go to church to attend mass together. Due to the huge number of attendees, I got separated from my family members. I stuck together with my Aunt during that time.  After the mass, there is a procession to where the image of our patron" Our Lady of Guadalupe" is being carried in a cart turning a single route on which people follow the crowd and offers prayers. After the procession, we were invited by my mother's friend, and we went there to have dinner and a little bit of sharing about life.   Since we were full, we decided to go back home, so we could rest. But before we go home, we go back inside the church since it is along our way back. We go inside the church and take the opportunity to kiss the image of our patron together with different saints' images also offering prayers. We also got the chance to take pictures together. Afterward, we go home and rest.   To wrap up everything that happened in the first three days' stay in the province, it is indeed memorable and fun. Aside from that, we remain able to spend a lot of time together, we also create memories that we will forever remain in each of our hearts. My heart is filled with love and happiness for my family. That is the reason why I prefer to spend holidays in the province with my family, as it is definitely worth it. Our stay extended until December 28. There are a lot of things happening within the remaining days and I decided to share them on separate blogs. For now, I will end this sharing with this beautiful quote. "The secret is to make sure your family comes before anything else, because no matter what you do you've got to come home".