Christmas in the Philippines () is one of the biggest holidays in the country. The Philippines, one of the two predominantly Catholic countries in Asia (the other one being East Timor), celebrates the world's longest Christmas season (). With Christmas music played as early as August, the holiday season gradually begins by September, reaches its peak in December with Christmastide, and concludes within the week after New Year's Day; however, festivities could last until the third Sunday of January, the feast day of the Santo Niño de Cebú. Officially, the holiday season is observed by the Catholic Church from the first day of Advent—the fourth Sunday before Christmas—to Epiphany (Three Kings' Day), which falls between January 2 and 8. Etymology and nomenclature In Filipino and most Philippine languages, the word Paskó commonly refers to Christmas. It comes from the Spanish phrase "pascua de navidad" (); the latter part, de navidad, fell out of use, leaving the word pascua to be assimilated into the local languages over the years. Meanwhile, the Spanish word pascua descended from Latin pascha, which was borrowed from Ancient Greek πάσχα (páskha), meaning "Passover". In other languages spoken in the country, including Chavacano (a Spanish-based creole), Hiligaynon, and Ilocano, the Spanish-derived pascua is still in use, although its spelling may vary. In Kapampangan, Pasku (or Pascu), related to Tagalog Paskó, is used. Krismas, a Filipinized rendering of the English word Christmas, is also used occasionally in non-formal contexts. The word Paskó serves as the root word of some Christmas-related terms, such as Kapaskuhán, the name for the Christmas season; namamaskó, a caroller; pamamaskó, the act of caroling; pamaskó, a Christmas gift or present; and pampaskó or pang-Paskó, literally means "for Christmas" and may refer to clothing worn on Christmas Day. History The celebrations of Christmas in the Philippines have deep influences of Catholicism, tracing their roots back to Spanish colonial rule from 1521 to 1898. Currently, the Philippines holds the longest running festivity of the Christmas season in the world, which begins on September 1. Activities The various ethnic groups in the Philippines each observe different Christmas traditions, and the following are generally common. Christmas traditions Simbang Gabi and Misa de Gallo Simbang Gabi ("Night Mass"; Spanish: Misa de Gallo, "Rooster's Mass", or Misa de Aguinaldo, "Gift Mass") is a novena of dawn Masses from December 16 to 24 (Christmas Eve). The Simbang Gabi is practised mainly