Christmas Dinner

Christmas dinner is a meal traditionally eaten at Christmas. This meal can take place any time from the evening of Christmas Eve to the evening of Christmas Day itself. The meals are often particularly rich and substantial, in the tradition of the Christian feast day celebration, and form a significant part of gatherings held to celebrate Christmas.

The actual meal consumed varies in different parts of the world with regional cuisine and local traditions. In many parts of the world, the meal shares some connection with the English Christmas dinner involving roasted meats. 

Christmas dinner in the Philippines is called Noche Buena following Hispanic custom, and is held towards midnight of December 24. This usually comes after the entire family has attended the late evening Mass called the  Misa de Gallo. The centrepiece of the Noche Buena is often the hamon. Other ubiquitous dishes are pasta and for dessert, fruit salad. Most of the food served on Noche Buena are fresh and usually prepared during the day of Christmas Eve.

This focus on the family is common to all Filipino socio-economic classes and ethnic groups that observe Christmas in that most – if not all – members from branch or extended families in a clan are expected to partake of the Noche Buena. Relatives living abroad, especially OFWs, are highly encouraged to return home for the occasion, as it is the most important Filipino Christian holiday of the year. Most families prefer to exchange Christmas presents right after the dinner, in contrast to the Western custom of opening presents on Christmas morning.