[Pasko Na Naman lyrics’ featured image from Morguefile.] Pasko Na Naman is one of the Christmas song staples sung in the Philippines. It must have been that “Pasko! Pasko! Pasko!” element that made it subject to certain parodies. Almost everything in the Philippines can be subjected to parody. But this article hopes to analyze the song based on the lyrics found. So checking out the Pasko Na Naman Lyrics meant an opportunity to scrutinize the way Christmas is celebrated in the Philippines.
Pasko Na Naman
O Kay tulin ng araw
Paskong nagdaan,
Tila ba kung kailan lang
Ngayon ay Pasko,
Dapat pasalamatan
Ngayon ay Pasko
Tayo ay mag-awitan
Pasko Na Naman Lyrics
Opening Stanza
“Pasko Na Naman” meant “It’s Christmas Again”. For a song that is sung for decades in the Philippines now, it sounded like an epiphany to the previous Christmases that passed. Long before social media impaired attention span among people today, people decades ago already felt as if Christmas come and go in swift succession.
It was supported by its next line “O kay tulin ng araw”. In the Pasko Na Naman Lyrics, it meant “Days went by quickly”. How busy had Filipinos been in the past to wake up one day and it’s Christmas again? Even farm life in the Philippine countryside is pretty preoccupied. Planting rice and other crops consumed much of the activities. They only stopped to have lunch. But not at home. Lunch is packed at hoome before leaving for the farm. And lunch is shared in a nearby hut. It’s the closest thing farmers had for a clubhouse. Or pantry for the modern-day office dweller.
Chorus:
Pasko! Pasko!
Pasko na namang muli!
Tanging araw na ating
pinakamimithi,
Pasko! Pasko!
Pasko na namang muli!
Ang pag-i–big
naghahari.
Pasko Na Naman Lyrics
Chorus
Now where did the comics start parodying the Pasko Na Naman Lyrics? It’s in the “Pasko! Pasko! Pasko!” part where a chorus would start taking turns in the sung parts and the yelled parts. The original version would get them singing “Pasko!” And in between very short pauses, the back-up singers would yell “Pasko!”.
Comics parodied this part by changing the yelled parts into “Paksiw!” So the chorus ends up sounding like “Pasko! (Paksiw!) Pasko! (Paksiw!) Pasko na namang muli!” Some listeners found it funny because it’s Christmas and some families would have “paksiw” for the Christmas Eve dinner in the Philippines. “Paksiw” is milkfish cooked in vinegar-rich broth. It’s proof of the Filipino ingenuity of using vinegar to cook a dish that can last for days.
Now whether some families served “paksiw” on Christmas or not says a lot about their economic status. Well serving “paksiw” is never a bad thing. Some people just have this pretentious elitist attitude regarding any dish served that doesn’t include ham or cheese. Seeing the word “paksiw” in the parody version of the Pasko Na Naman lyrics revealed a practical remedy when handling holiday dinner leftovers.
The most surprising thing about analyzing Pasko Na Naman Lyrics is how secular the Christmas song turned out to be. And it’s not a bad thing. The secular and the non-religious would greet each other “Happy Holidays”. Holidays give rise to celebrations that Christians willingly share with people of all beliefs. A clear indicator that holidays meant sharing the celebration with everyone else worth including into.
Celebrating Christmas meant acknowledging holidays without getting sucked into its commercialized version. Consider it as an opportunity to spend time with friends and family. Because all work and no play makes zombies instead of rats stuck in the corporate jungle. Or some other situation that you’d love to spend a break from. Other analytical articles would soon be found here. So like our official Facebook page, The Philippines Web. And follow us on Twitter @pinasamazing. We’d be expecting you.
