PHL Embassy in Tel Aviv, Filipinos in ‘Holy Land’ welcome Christmas
THE Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv led Israel-based Filipinos in welcoming the Christmas season with its annual tree-lighting ceremony.
Festivities returned to their traditional home at the Terra Sancta Secondary School in Jaffa after two years of scaled-down celebrations due to the pandemic.
Charge d’affaires (CDA) Anthony Achilles L. Mandap led the ceremony and was joined by Honorary Consul Boaz Waksman; Fr. Carlos Santos, guardian of the St. Peter’s Church; Federation of Filipino Communities in Israel’s president Jovelyn Taynan; and National Alliance of Filipino Communities’ president Emma Emiliano in lighting up the Christmas tree—regarded as the symbolic beginning of the Christmas celebrations among Filipinos in the State of Israel, or the “Holy Land.”
Mandap thanked the Filipinos for the warm welcome and conveyed the holiday greetings of incoming Ambassador to Israel Pedro Ramirez Laylo Jr. He also announced the full resumption of the embassy’s sociocultural activities with the Filipino community.
The CDA also expressed appreciation for the support extended by a team from the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Office of Migrant Workers’ Affairs headed by Deputy Assistant Secretary Kristine Salle. Members coordinated with the embassy in the hosting of a dinner for guests from the community, and the distribution of holiday gifts to children.
The celebration showcased the Philippines’s unique and colorful ways of celebrating the season. Aside from the parol, groups took turns performing Yuletide carols.
Filipino organizations also brought their entries for the best Pinoy lantern contest. They were judged based on originality, creativity, as well as the use of native and recycled materials.