For New Year's Eve, The Dahl Family—Jessa, Liam, and I—decided to leave the city behind and head deep into the mountains of Ginatilan to celebrate with Jessa's family. It’s a bit of a trek into what I like to call "the jungle," but it’s a journey we make often. Liam was a bit cranky on the way up, so I spent the drive in the back keeping him company while Jessa handled the road.
Every time I visit the family home, I’m struck by how much things are improving. They’ve gone "high class" now—the shower and toilet are finally inside the house! I even found my old chair, which I’d gifted them a long time ago. I was sure it would have been destroyed by now, but there it was, still holding strong.
Celebrating New Year's in the Philippines is a world away from what I grew up with in Norway. In my home country, we usually sit down for a formal turkey dinner at 7:00 PM, have some wine or beer, and light fireworks at midnight (though the government has made that almost impossible now with so many regulations). Norwegian New Year's often turns into a massive party where people who only drink three times a year get way too drunk.
Jessa and I have consciously chosen a different path. We want our holidays—Christmas, birthdays, and New Year's—to be kid-friendly. This year, I didn't drink a single drop of alcohol. You don't need it to have a great time, and I much preferred playing with Liam and the other kids, helping out where I could, and just soaking in the atmosphere.
Philippine tradition is also quite different when it comes to timing. When we arrived, we had a "snack meal" of adobo and barbecue, but the real feast doesn't happen until midnight. Jessa’s family has some great traditions, like keeping a specific number of fruits on the table for good luck and sharing a sip of water from a flowing source. We even had a "money-changing hands" ritual to bring prosperity for the coming year.
The food was incredible. We had everything from Philippine-style spaghetti and fruit salad to some more "adventurous" dishes like goat head. For some, that might be shocking, but in Norway, sheep's head is a traditional dish, so I felt right at home!
One of the highlights was the fireworks. Jessa’s family hasn't traditionally done rockets, so Jessa and I decided to sponsor the show this year. We bought some local five-peso fireworks (which are about 10 cents in US currency) and a massive "Chinese Masterpiece" fountain that cost about 5,000 pesos. Seeing everyone's faces light up as the sky filled with color was worth every cent.
After the fireworks, Jessa organized a ton of games for the kids, giving out bags of candy and making sure everyone was involved. While some people in the mountains continued the party well into the next day, we called it a night around 2:00 AM. Liam was exhausted and fell asleep almost instantly once we got home.
It was a humble, native, and incredibly heartwarming way to ring in the brand-new year.
Happy New Year, and I'll see you in the next one!
