The Purpose of Holidays
by Oliver Carlos
There are so many holidays we celebrate in the Philippines. In the month of February, we celebrate the EDSA People Power Revolution. Although the said uprising spanned a total of 4 days, we mark only the last day as the holiday, that is February 25. There are no classes and work on that day.
The EDSA Revolution is said to be the Filipino people’s legacy to the world. We have proven that it’s possible to stage a bloodless revolution. There was zero casualty in that 4-day mass uprising that resulted to a change of government in 1986. We have shown the world that we can accomplish such feat with sheer people power, or unity in numbers. In fact, many communist countries followed our example, beginning with the unification of Germany in 1989.
I was in 1st year high school when the EDSA Revolution happened. I had very limited knowledge on politics at that time, I just observed the adults in our compound as the revolution unfolded. I recall that there was an election on February 7 of that year. All the adults I know- my relatives, their friends, and my teachers claimed to have voted for Cory Aquino. You can know a Cory supporter easily- that person wears a yellow shirt and flashes the “L” sign. L stands for Laban, the political party of Cory.
On the 22nd of February, my Uncle Bobot, who lived next door, knocked on our window and told my parents to open the radio because there’s some interesting news. Later, I found out that there were so many people massing up in a place in Metro Manila called EDSA. I heard they were blocking the path of some soldiers and tanks. There were no classes on the 24th and 25th, which were Monday and Tuesday respectively because everybody was glued on Radio Veritas for the latest updates on the commotion on EDSA. Once in a while, there were images of the event on TV.
On the 25th, there was a TV coverage of the inauguration or oath-taking of Ferdinand Marcos as the winner of the election and President of the Philippines. I heard from the grown-ups that Cory also had her own version of an inauguration. Later that day, Uncle Bobot once again came knocking at our window to tell my parents that Marcos had left Malacanang.
The days that followed were filled with national frenzy. I remember a couple of songs which became so popular. One was “Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo,” composed by the APO Hiking Society, and the other one was “Magkaisa,” by Tito Sotto. I hear them on TV and radio once every 10 minutes, and they were also sung everywhere, mostly by kids. They were like our new national anthems. In the years that followed, February 25 became an official holiday to commemorate our so-called freedom from dictatorship.
Most holidays are related to our struggle for freedom. Some are birthdays of heroes, some are death anniversaries of those who sacrificed their lives for our independence. Some are for commemorating special battles our countrymates fought in. Holidays are good. Aside from having a break from our monotonous stressful daily lives in school or work, they are also good reminders of something great that happened many years ago. Holidays give us a sense of identity as a nation. They tell us who we are- a people set free in the past and enjoying liberty today.
Just like the Filipinos, the Israelites also had their holidays. The most important one is the Passover. It’s the day they were set free by God from their bondage in Egypt. They were slaves of the Egyptians for centuries, until God raised up a liberator in the person of Moses. The Passover was named such because the angel of death literally passed over every house that had the blood of a lamb painted on the doorposts. Those households with no blood had its eldest son killed that night. We read about this in Exodus 12:14–17 (NIV):
“This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord — a lasting ordinance…. hold a sacred assembly….Do no work at all…except to prepare food for everyone to eat.….because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt.”
The Passover holiday was instituted by God to make the Israelites pause and reflect on his goodness and faithfulness to them. For us Christians, similar holidays would be Christmas, Good Friday, and Resurrection Sunday. But why wait for these once-in-a-year dates if we can make everyday a thanksgiving day to honor our loving and powerful God. He does great things for us everyday, not just on holidays.
