MILAGRO EN PRAGA was shown a month ago during Instituto Cervantes’s Pelicula Pelikula film festival. It was not really the lack of ideas that led to the 30-day lapse. It was very much intentional on my part.
You see, with Christmas now fast approaching, I decided that this would be the perfect time to talk about the movie. It was hyped as a contemporary romantic comedy that tells of two families hoping to receive the miracle of Christmas from Santo Niño de Prague.
Going around Metro Manila, I just cannot help but smile. On the street, at night, I can see some buildings and homes already with Christmas lights. They, at the very least, take away the stress from a long day at work.
I also have to make special mention of those Christmas decorations in the middle of Ayala Avenue. I just have to nod my head whenever I see those lighted churches. For me, they hark back to how we Filipinos celebrate the season.
I also saw a glimpse of Ayala Triangle, and I think the light and sound show there will be amazing this year. They only last several minutes but it always brings out the child in me.
If the Christmas decorations in the city also widened your eyes and made you smile, then you can consider that a miracle in itself. That means we still understand how it feels to be a living, breathing human being amid the total chaos and unbearable traffic of the city.
Christmas is a big deal to me. I grew up looking forward to it and I am doubly excited as I count the days down, especially after All Saints’ Day has passed.
It was about anticipating and experiencing all the good days ahead. The weekly exchange gifts with classmates, Christmas school programs, the eat-outs at the nearest burger stands after school, hanging out in friends’ homes, the long and short unplanned trips, Simbang Gabi, bibingka and puto bumbong, and even going to the malls was then fun.
I remember my parents taking me to Cubao in Quezon City to watch the COD Christmas show, where mechanized mannequins were being used to tell a Christmas story.
Then there was the Disney Holiday On Ice at the Araneta Coliseum, which I got to watch only a few times as a child because the tickets were a bit on the expensive side.
I remember during my elementary-school days waking up to Paeng Yabut on AM radio playing Christmas music as I prepare for school, and having a warm glass of milk and hot pan de sal with butter and peanut butter.
Going then to school in cold weather presented a good reason for me to take out my sweaters and wear them to school. Raise your hands if you remember a time when you can see fog in the morning.
I remember the nights in college, where, together with friends, we would just stay in school and talk about silly love songs and our silly lives instead of going home. School life was so much fun, especially at this time of the year. It was not expensive either.
It was also at this time of the year when I go to record bars to add to my music collection. Back then, I used to get myself not just one cassette but at least five of them. A record bar, for me, is a place for finding treasures.
I remember the family reunions and how my family used to meet with my cousins, aunts and uncles during Christmas Eve. My cousins and I just could not wait for the clock to strike 12 so we can open our gifts and enjoy the feast on the dining table.
I met my father’s sister in Bonifacio Global City a few weeks ago and she asked if we would join them again in the annual reunion. I told her that we just might. I guess my father, who passed away nine years ago, would like that idea now.
Czech Ambassador Jaroslav Olša Jr. told me that in their country, Christmas is also a big celebration even during the time when they were under communist rule.
And just like here in the Philippines, he said Christmas Eve is when their families gather together, kids look under the Christmas tree for gifts, and all go to church at midnight.
Ambassador Olša said they have some of the most beautiful churches, even as he admitted that they are one of the least religious countries in the world. He said they are a nominally Catholic country.
One of those churches played a key part in the movie Milagro En Praga as Dolores, a devout Mexican Catholic, returns the stolen Santo Niño in the hope that her daughter will finally bear a child.
As the movie unfolds, audiences began to realize that there was really no miracle of that sort. Moralities might even be questioned.
However, the true miracle in the movie was about a young couple falling in love, a father finding out he had a son, and people caring for a mother who had just given up her newborn baby. That, for me, is more than enough reaffirmation of why we celebrate Christmas.
Forget how we have commercialized Christmas, which, according to Olša, is also true in their country.
This Christmas season, go to malls, get tickets to shows, visit the various bazaars in town, introduce yourself to new restaurants and food, jump from party to party, and maybe even splurge a bit on yourself.
But please do not forget that this is the time of the year for families and friends to get together, especially if you have not seen them for a long time.
This is also a time when you get the chance to be nice to people around you. Try not to be grumpy. Smile at the person beside you. Give them a pat on the back. It does not take much effort to do that. Who knows? Maybe, afterwards you can be jolly and nice the whole year through.
Now, if we can only have that cool weather present. It is already middle of November and yet it still feels like summer outside.
For comments, suggestions, and reactions, I can be reached at raalzona@yahoo.com.