December 16. This is one of the most important and wonderful times of the year for children most especially in the Philippines, because this is the official starting date of “Karoling”(Caroling). There are kids who would start to carol on the eve of December 01 onwards but most of what they can get is “Patawad”. They are being told to wait until the “Simbang Gabi” starts before they can carol. Now that Simbang Gabi is just a moment away, nobody can ban those kids from roaming around the neighborhood singing Christmas carols.
I myself have a lot of wonderful experiences of Karoling when I was a kid. We never get tired of visiting almost the same houses every night. We are lucky because during those times we rarely receive “Patawad” even though we had just caroled on them just the other night. And we will continue to visit them night after night until the 24th of December. And just like the previous night they will give us their coins. Maybe they just loved our golden voice as we sang to them “We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year” (winked).
We don’t even have to practice different kinds of Christmas songs. Our specialty songs are “Jingle Bells” and “Ang Pasko ay Sumapit” accompanied by our improvised tambourine and drums, the merrier and the noisier the song, the better, because we can be easily heard. Those two songs were enough for us to earn a lot of coins every night. And you know our favorite houses to carol to? Those who own a sari-sari store. This is because the sari-sari store owners usually have lots of coins to spare for us.
Nowadays it is different, many, if not the entire neighborhood will allow you to carol on them only once. The kids have a high percentage of rejection nowadays. There are determined kids who will sing up to five different Christmas songs with a hope that they will be given a small amount of money in return. They will even sing up to the top of their voices just to be heard but the final confirmation of rejection is when the house owner turns off the light. It is also as if a requirement that they have to prepare different songs, because they don’t want to repeat the same song again and again or at least a block away from the house that they sang that song.
To avoid rejection the kids are regrouping themselves every night so that they will not be branded as a repeater. Once spotted, they can easily reason out that, the other night was a different group while tonight is a new one and tomorrow will be another one. The improvised tambourine and drums are still there though some innovations are added. Some are bringing lighted candles to add an effect to their song. The kids will do everything just to increase the night’s revenue. Who can blame them, it is their time of the year and they have to make the most of it.
Tonight when you hear that familiar song, “Sa may bahay ang aming bati, Merry Christmas na maluwalhati….” spare them your coins, and expect to hear that song again and again for the next nine evenings. You know for sure the joy that those children feel when you give them money. Those smile that flashes on their face as if they are telling you “see you again tomorrow evening”. Remember, you were also on that same situation not so many years ago.
It is normal to say “Patawad” these days, but please don’t turn off the light. After all this only happens for a short time, only nine evenings of the year. We should be thankful instead because we were given a chance to really experience the joy and the spirit of giving and sharing in the form of those simple children singing to us energetically “Ang sanhi po ng pagparito, hihingi po ng aginaldo, kung sakaling kami’y perwisyo, pasensiya na kayo, kami’y namamasko”.
