- Let's take a look at the map
- How New Year is celebrated in the Philippines
- Without Blue Light
- Useful information for travelers
Distant and mysterious exotic Philippines provide a truly fantastic welcome to foreign visitors. A huge number of hotels for every income and taste, developed tourist infrastructure, clean beaches, nature reserves with untouched virgin nature, luxurious diving and training schools, and even visa-free entry for Russian residents - all the advantages of rest on the overseas islands cannot be enumerated. The only drawback is the flight distance. So if you decide to celebrate the New Year in the Philippines or just spend a vacation, get ready that you have to stay in the sky for at least 12 hours.
Let's take a look at the map
More than seven thousand islands in the western Pacific Ocean form the Republic of the Philippines. The maritime tropical climate provides hot and humid weather throughout the year, but meteorologists still distinguish three periods, slightly different in temperature and humidity levels:
- The dry, cold season, during which the Christmas and New Year holidays fall, is called tag lamig in the Philippines. At this time, the weather is formed by a monsoon blowing from the northeast. Local residents call him "amikhan".
- Mercury columns on New Year's holidays usually show from 21 ° C to 32 ° C, depending on the region. The rise in temperatures is due to the large length of the state. The islands on which the Philippines are located are scattered 2000 km from north to south and almost a thousand from west to east. Average temperature values of a January day are within + 26 ° С.
Typhoons and tsunamis more often occur in the northern regions of the country, and these natural disasters usually occur in the second half of summer and early autumn. In this sense, it is absolutely safe to celebrate the New Year in the Philippines.
How New Year is celebrated in the Philippines
The overwhelming majority of the country's population is Catholics and Protestants, and therefore Christian Christmas in the Philippines is celebrated, as elsewhere in the world. New Year is less important for Filipinos, but in tourist places, most people on the planet also do not forget about their favorite winter holiday.
Filipinos begin to decorate palms and other Christmas trees in early December. For Christmas, it is customary to come to parental homes or invite older family members to visit. The hostesses try to prepare all the best for the festive table. On this evening, guests from any home in the Philippines can taste dishes of rice and noodles with fried chicken, roast pig with exotic spices, and specialty fish "paw-paw". Desserts are made with rice and sweet fruits.
After a delicious dinner, it is customary to visit friends and neighbors, and young people usually go for a walk with friends, launch firecrackers and admire fireworks and fire shows on the ocean shore.
Without Blue Light
You can find so much entertainment in the Philippines on New Year's holidays that the absence of a TV with traditional music programs with the participation of the masters of the Russian stage will only affect your mood for the better.
You can start by sunbathing. The temperature of water and air during the Christmas holidays on the Philippine beaches averages + 27 ° C and + 26 ° C, respectively. An even and safe bronze tan on Philippine beaches is guaranteed with UV protection. Remember that in equatorial and tropical latitudes, without special creams, the skin burns out in a matter of minutes!
After the beach, it is worth signing up for a massage session. It is made in hotel spas. All cosmetic and health procedures are performed here using natural products and components: sea water, algae, essential oils and extracts from tropical flowers and fruits. Especially popular is the hot stone massage, which relieves fatigue, relaxes muscles and gives new energy.
Diving in the Philippines is another great way to put yourself in a festive mood and welcome the new year surrounded by paradise underwater landscapes. You can always rent equipment at diving centers in beach resorts, and local instructors will teach you how to dive.
At the end of the day, you can pamper yourself with dinner at the seaside restaurant, where musicians are indispensable in the evening. The highlight of the entertainment program is usually a concert of the masters of the Philippine guitar - an instrument as beautiful and exotic as the country of seven thousand islands.
Useful information for travelers
It is not too expensive to fly to the Philippines on connecting flights of several airlines:
- The most pleasant prices are usually offered by Turkish airlines. For a ticket Moscow - Manila with a connection in Istanbul, you will pay about 560 euros. We will spend about 14 hours in the sky. Departure from the capital Vnukovo.
- A ticket on board China Southern Airlines will cost a little more. The Chinese ask 750 euros for their services. Two transfers are to be made in Urumqi and Guangzhou, and on the road to spend - at least 18 hours, taking into account connections. In Moscow, planes depart from Sheremetyevo Airport.
Subscribing to the airline's e-mail newsletter will help you buy tickets profitably. From it you will learn about discounts and special offers, and you can subscribe on the official websites of air carriers.
The same airline sites will help you find out how to spend your time usefully if the connection is going to be a long one. For example, Turkish Airlines offers free Istanbul sightseeing tours with lunch for transit passengers, which can be booked at Turkish Airlines information desks at Istanbul Airport.
The largest shopping center in Southeast Asia is opened in Manila. It is called the Mall of Asia and if you are flying to celebrate the New Year in the Philippines, get ready for a profitable and pleasant shopping. As elsewhere in the world, at the end of December, Christmas sales will start in the country's shopping centers, where you can buy your favorite products with significant discounts.
