Ninos Inocentes

People seem to forget that Christmas doesn't abruptly end on December 25. After the one hundred and fifteen days that have been counted down to the Big Day since the start of September, it seems that all the festivities of the holidays screech to a grinding halt after the 25th of December.

I spent Christmas Day with a heavy brunch of whole wheat bread and ham and cheese. Then I headed out for Quiapo church where I heard Mass and then went to the office to do some tithing for the Nazarene. I did go around the market area for some bargains to garnish the Christmas table. Then I headed home so I could change my clothes for another gathering that I had agreed to attend. After all, I haven't seen my friends at the Lady of Remedies in Malate for a while.

When I got to the church, Fr. Kevin McHugh was celebrating the Eucharist at twelve o'clock Mass so i had to wait a little. The Mel came to the convento and After Mass we were joined by Jenny Crespo. We headed to The Aristocrat as Wok Inn was closed for the holiday. I wasn't too hungry so Mel Jenny and I shared a plate of Pancit Canton, Lumpiang Shanghai. Mel ordered a Chicken Barbeque. Jenny had a Clubhouse Sandwich. I got a soda as usual. 

After a few minutes. Artem and Joy Deanon arrived together with their two kids who have obviously grown since I last saw them. We had a lot of catching up to do so before we knew it, lunch had extended all the way till four o'clock.

My next stop was at the Recto Residence where I animatedly chatted and spent time with June Recto and Family. His sister had just arrived from the US on the eve of Christmas with husband Carlo in tow. We had so much fun munching on pizza. I had brought  Ate Didith green mangoes as a present.

There was so much horsing around I had gone home late.

The next day, I worked out and then I cooked up a batch of pasta with three cheese sauce which I had prepared for Jojo Santos. After dinner, we headed out for some coffee supposedly but ended up in SM/Glorietta for some Lechon that June's cousin was going to cook up into paksiw for her husband. While at the food court in SM, I ended up having Razon's halo-halo and ensaymada and then bought a bottle of Aligue from Pampanga.

Next thing I knew it was eleven p.m. But I digress...

So  today the 28th of December marks the Innocents' Day. It commemorates the day Herod had learned from the Magi that the new King had been born. Jealous and threatened by his eventual loss of power he orders his army to slay all the male children below two years of age born within that period when the star of Bethlehem appeared. One can only imagine the bloodshed that it took. Naturally, fun loving-Filipinos have turned Ninos Inocentes as some sort of April Fool's day by playing pranks on each other. The Catholic Church is vocal with the fact that the holiday is a religious tradition in that the Christians  must  recall and reflect on the toll of innocent lives taken at their purest and untainted stage. These nameless children who suffered at the hands of the mighty have now ironically, achieved immortality...