Have you ever wanted to know or feel what it’s like to taste a French Christmas celebrated in the Philippines? If so, you guys are in it for an experience of a lifetime!
This December 2022, the French-Philippine Diplomatic Relations, the Embassy of France to the Philippines, opened its first French-Filipino Christmas Market at the Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati. This serves as a means of commemorating the Establishment of the 75th anniversary of French-Philippine Diplomatic Relations! This event transports us back to our homeland and enjoys our French traditions as we visit the Marché de Nöel Christmas Market & Festival Lights ourselves. The exciting part is that Nelson was one of the event’s organizers! With him are Adrienne Charuel and Chef Patrice Fresulon, in partnership with Ayala Land, Inc., the Taste of France, and Make it Makati.
EAT, DRINK, AND SHOP
The concept they decided to go through this year was the “Eat, Drink, and Shop.” Upon visiting the site, you will immediately feel the French-Filipino Christmas Market vibe. We thoroughly enjoyed the traditional “must-haves” of what a Christmas market in France would have: food, wine, and all sorts of artisanal novelties! Indeed, it feels great to experience a culture we traditionally grew up in combined with a culture we were both passionate about and interested in. Honestly, this brought about profound happiness within us.
INTERTWINING & SHARING OF CULTURES
With our tradition comes performance. To kick off the event, The French-Filipino Christmas Market invited the Les petits chanteurs à la croix de bois, or The Little Singers of Paris to sing La Marseillaise, France’s national anthem. Of course, on the one hand, Yumy Sansano proudly sang the Philippine national anthem.
This intertwining and sharing of cultures highlighted each country’s good relationships and pride. Accompanied by that was the French equivalent of the Philippines’ Higantes Festival. This featured Giants made out of papier-mâché, the Les Grand Personnes! Undeniably, to see families and children enjoying and being entertained by these infusions of cultures brought smiles to our faces.
EXPLORING THE MARKET AND MEETING PEOPLE
We went around the market to make the most out of the event. One of our first stops was Lemmy’s Bistro to get a French Raclettes Montagnarde. The market featured a Raclette with a unique twist of having a crêpe alongside it! Our hunger was more than satisfied. We saw more artisan trinkets for our loved ones as gifts at the 3D Crystal Philippines stall. Some stalls also sell clothes there! It was a perfect moment for Nelson, who was planning to buy clothes, especially for his baby coming soon!
Besides exploring the market, we met and interacted with many people from the Philippines and France. These people have so many exciting, engaging, dynamic personalities and stories that we could never get enough of them.
The Christmas Market finally lit up upon reaching nighttime, cementing the feeling of home for us. One of the highlights of the Christmas Markets in France was the unique setup of lights each market had, and the markets here also met our expectations!
We stopped by Oui Tacos along with Vic, the mastermind of the store. We were excited to try his take on our French Tacos, a popular street food we’ve always heard about. French Tacos have a unique feature of infusing french fries inside the taco. We were excited to try this famous take, and upon ordering the food, we can say we were not disappointed! We continued to indulge in our food until our tummies were filled.
THE FESTIVE LIGHT SHOW
There was even a whole light show at the event. The venue contains many people who went, watched, and enjoyed the entire thing! Nothing warms our hearts more than seeing a large number of people enjoy the culture we have a great love for. Seeing the light show with the joy of Christmas music tied up the whole event, and we were overjoyed.
We were confident and happy to say that the event was a great success not only for the two of us but also for the French and the Filipinos! The fact that a culmination between Filipino and French cultures became possible through this French-Filipino Christmas Market was something we did not expect; however, we can say that it was a warmly welcomed surprise. We could not resist the smiles this has put upon our faces as it has been something we have always been passionate about, and seeing the joy it has brought unto others makes us proud that we have come far from where we started. It has been a tiring but enriching journey for both of us, but we intend to continue going further for everyone to enjoy the vision we share for Filipino and French cultures!
BRIDGING CULTURE BETWEEN FRANCE AND THE PHILIPPINES
Looking back, it’s been six years since we started this endeavor, and we only had one purpose: bridging culture between France and the Philippines. As Nelson has mentioned, this event is very close to his heart. He loves the Philippines wholeheartedly but is also proud of our French roots. The joyous French-Filipino Christmas Market signifies his success in one of his missions, to connect France and the Philippines. If there’s one thing that sets us apart from other content creators, it is our love for sharing fun moments and experiences while bridging two cultures. It has always been our top priority to give people a chance to experience a bit of France without stepping out of their homes. The love and support we have been receiving from you (thousands of Filipinos) push us to create and organize events that would personally involve all of you!
Grab the chance to visit the French-Filipino Christmas Market yourselves! The event will take place until the end of December for you to have a taste of a French Christmas in the Philippines! Invite your friends and loved ones and take a stroll around the market, enjoy the performances, and keep an eye out on the lights show at night for an experience you will never forget! Oh, and don’t forget all the French-Filipino food and drinks you can indulge in!
If you’re curious about how we celebrate Christmas in France, read our previous blog article, 5 Best Things About Holiday Seasons of Christmas in France! It will give you further details on Christmas Markets, decorations and lights, food and drinks, ice-skating rinks, and the French culture brought upon during the Yuletide season.
