On Saturday, Dec, 14, the Philippine-American Association of Madison & Neighboring Areas (PAMANA) celebrated its annual Christmas party. The potluck-style meal took place at Kasieta Center in Verona and drew over 120 attendees.
As one of the oldest Asian American organizations in South Central Wisconsin, PAMANA has been hosting Christmas dinners since the 1950s, even before it was officially recognized as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2010 (but formally organized in 1984).
A much anticipated part of the gathering was the Christmas caroling performance, which featured 13 tracks including hits like “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays,” “Joy to the World,” and a mashup of “Feliz Navidad” and “Maligayang Pasko.”
Performers also sang duets and solos for songs including “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and “Sa Araw Ng Pasko [On Christmas Day].”
“I think it is through caroling that Filipinos are able to fully express their deep cultural values of generosity and love for music and festivities,” PAMANA board member and choir pianist Omar Dumdum said.
Caroling is a widespread tradition in the Philippines, often done by children who use makeshift instruments like tin-can drums and tambourines as their musical accompaniment.
PAMANA has used caroling as a way to fundraise for its annual scholarship that supports graduating Madison-area Filipino American high schoolers in their academic and vocational journeys since 2012.
“Every December, we identify Filipino families who [are willing to] host parties and PAMANA fundraisers for their families and friends, with PAMANA providing the entertainment through caroling,” Dumdum explained.
“Each year, we also identify which programs apart from the PAMANA scholarship would benefit from the caroling funds, like social services, community education and outreach, or disaster relief back in the Philippines.”
This year’s volunteer carolers have been practicing every Saturday afternoon since October.
“We want our rehearsals to be a fun experience, not a regimented one, so we compliment our rehearsals with a potluck of Filipino food. Our running joke is that our Saturday afternoons are 50% eating, 50% singing,” Dumdum said. “We are open to anyone interested, even non-Filipinos.”
In addition to its monetary goals, caroling has also strengthened members’ sense of community with one another. “I would say that the caroling has itself also become a PAMANA program for cultural awareness, because we are able to gather the Filipino community and introduce this tradition to the newer generation of Filipino American kids,” DumDum explained.
Caroling is also an opportunity for PAMANA to give back to the Madison community at large. This year, leading up to the Christmas party, the choir also performed at three PAMANA members’ homes and visited two assisted living facilities in Madison and Sun Prairie.
“We do small public performances for free, and we mostly target venues where the audience may need an uplifting cheer this holiday season,” Dumdum said. “We coordinate with these facilities and don’t solicit during our caroling performances.”
During the open mic portion of the night, members of UW-Madison’s Filipinx American Student Association (FASO) also sang the fan favorite “Maybe This Time,” famously sung by Filipino pop star Sarah Geronimo.
The evening’s musical entertainment was accompanied by dancing, a visit from Santa, raffle prizes, and parlor games. The donated prizes included a 55″ TV, a wireless karaoke speaker system, and food and drink baskets.
Learn more about PAMANA membership and updates at www.pamanamadison.org or by visiting their Facebook page.
Those interested in joining next year’s carolers can reach organizers at [email protected].
