It’s a rainy New Year’s Eve

This is a first.

I don’t remember ever having a rainy New Year’s Eve.....ever.

So you could just imagine the dread and the anticipated frustration of many Filipinos of welcoming the New Year, silent of the noisy revelry and dazzling sparkle of a fireworks-lit sky. Of course, Davao City way down south, for years now, has been devoid of such boisterous celebrations with their mayor’s prohibition on firecrackers. However, I surmise much of the rest of the country doesn’t quite sympathize with the mayor’s view on the subject.

Rains in January shouldn’t really surprise Filipinos with the way people have been treating the environment. Climates have been changing dramatically worldwide. This month, temperatures have been dropping to records lows of 18-19 degrees Celsius for Metro Manila and 9 degrees Celsius for Baguio. Nine degrees! The last and probably only time I experienced such cold temperatures was in 1999 as I slept shivering with my Levi’s® denim pants on in Crescent City, California.

My family attended the 9pm evening Holy Mass at the Holy Family Quasi-Parish in GSIS Village, Project 8. Not surprisingly, attendees were not in the numbers present during Christmas Eve probably opting for the Mass the morning after either to avoid the rains and/or the firecrackers.

As many people presumably prayed for good weather, the earlier heavy downpour subsided to a negligible drizzle giving renewed hope to a nation of revelers.

My fascination with firecrackers has been tempered by the annual warnings of the Department of Health against them, much covered with images of bloodied children and drunkards losing a finger or two. Apparently, such Yakuza-like consequences have not deterred a considerable number of thrill seekers every year who either by destiny or more likely because of stupidity and arrogance were not meant to be great piano players.

My reduced appetite for exploding things and the country’s floundering economy had actually made me budget zero for firecrackers this 2009. That was just fine as I even had “leftovers” brought to Project 8 from last year’s celebration. Besides, spending New Year’s Eve at my parents’ home had its built-in advantages like being neighbors to people who just love to blow up things! You enjoy the sight and the sounds but don’t suffer the damage to the wallet.

We lit a few firecrackers, Sonny Boy and I, while Joshua and Faith held a few sparklers enough to welcome the new year. But not even enough to use up all the leftovers of last year. Junior watched the fireworks while Odette, my wife was content to observe from a distance. By around one in the morning, everyone seemed to have gone back inside their respective homes sharing their family meals. The firecrackers and fireworks seemed to have been lesser this year than before, a perception I’ve had for several years now. If this was to be made an indicator of economic prosperity, the country should be ready for tough times ahead.

I’m particularly optimistic about this year despite the global crisis. What is important is that my family is together no matter what.

The global crisis? Filipinos have been known for their resiliency, and we’ll weather through this storm as a family, as a community and as a people and nation.

I don’t remember ever having a rainy New Year’s Eve…ever.

Hope the rains translate into blessings the whole year round. Besides, like in the movie “The Crow”, the main character played by actor Brandon Lee declares “…it can’t rain all the time.”


Happy New Year to everyone!