The Filipino community of Ankara and foreign guests gather outside the Meryem Ana Catholic Church to feast on Filipino holiday treats after a mass service commemorating Simbang Gabi. (Embassy Photo)

ANKARA 20 December 2021 — Freezing winter temperatures could not prevent the Filipino community of Ankara from joyously celebrating the holiday season with a Simbang Gabi program hosted by the Philippine Embassy at the Meryem Ana Catholic Church grounds on Sunday, 19 December 2021. Fr. Seraphim Kazadi led the mass service with the participation of Embassy personnel headed by Ambassador Maria Elena P. Algabre.      

Ambassador Maria Elena P. Algabre (2-L) and Consul General Enrique Voltaire G. Pingol (rightmost) with Filipino community members. (Embassy Photo)

Foreign guests enjoying the Filipino holiday treats such as the puto bumbong and bibingka. (Embassy Photo)

After the mass, tasty traditional Filipino holiday treats such as the puto bumbong and bibingka delighted Filipinos and foreign guests. The Filipino community also sang Christmas carols, adding to the festive cheer. 

The program continued with song and dance numbers from different Filipino community barangays, games for the children, and Embassy raffle prizes. The community singing of an Original Pilipino Music (OPM) season classic, “Christmas in our Hearts,” capped the celebration. ##