The Manito and the Manita

CEBU, Philippines - As a modification of the "Secret Santa", Filipinos from all walks of life are familiar with the Manito-Manita gift-giving tradition, an annually anticipated tradition that stands by the country's reputation for celebrating the longest Christmas Season in the world.

Practiced by countless cliques, households, organizations and communities, the gift-giving tradition has seen its share of retranslations and modifications over the years, but its fundamental thrust as a Christmas tradition continues to be driven by the virtues of friendship and camaraderie, anchored on Christmas being the season of giving.

Generally, the gift-giving tradition requires everyone to write their names in strips of paper which would be individually "raffled" to everyone involved. The title "manito" is given to a male gift-recipient, with "manita" being its female equivalent.

As a rule, no one is allowed to say who they've picked as "manito" or "manita", just as a group takes the time on agreeing upon the "frequency" the gift-giving takes place, along with a price range of how much "periodic" gifts should cost (with a minimum and maximum amount often agreed upon).

In certain circles, the gift-giving tradition is done at once-a-week intervals prior to December 25, with some circles known to exchange gifts every day or every other day.

In France, it's called "Pere Noel". In England, it is popularly dubbed "Father Christmas". In the Netherlands, it is termed "Sinter Klass". In Germany, it's "Cristkindl".

Here in the Philippines, it's "Manito-Manita".

But to these Cebuanos, it is:

"A form of extortion, depending on the people involved. Sa akong pamilya, we don't have any problems receiving ‘cheap’ gift tokens, making the whole thing worth the effort. But in some of my circles outside my family, I find it tiring since most people tend to associate quality with price, which – I believe – is not the point of the whole thing."

Denise, 26 years old – ESL Teacher

"It's fun if the people you are giving gifts to are those you like and respect. However, in some cases, I can't help but feel like I'm being forced to participate, especially when the ‘how much’ part is being decided…"

Ting, 33 – Call Center Team Lead

"I have no problem giving gifts to people I like to hang out and spend time with, since these people are not judgmental. It's in situations where my manito or manita is focused on brands and labels that I find annoying."

Kim, 30  – Call Center Team Lead

"My family has never really been that big with exchange gift traditions. We're more of the give-one-person-a-gift type, so I never really put too much thought in exchanging gift activities, but rather viewed the practice simply as the act of giving gifts even if it involved the exchange gift mechanics."

Anthony John, 33 – Medical Representative

"Another fun way of giving within a group that levels the field where everyone is in agreement of."

Joseph, 33  – Visual Artist

“We don't practice manito manita at home. I don't know why. But we do have it yearly in the office since it's a tradition. Personally, I don't see any sense in that because I know we are just doing it for compliance. It's just like doing a thing without finding its real meaning. Mao lang gyud na-andan.”

Ann, 29 – Banker

“The Manito-Manita concept is such a hit among high school students, especially among girl groups. During my time, we  do it weekly, with themes. We think of the weird/funny themes we could imagine, such as ‘something that is musical and educational’, ‘something that bouces but is not round’, ‘something fluffy that smells good,’, among many other themes that made our gift shopping stressful hahaha! We had fun, for sure and we kinda miss it. The concept made us more creative in our gift giving.”

Gabby, 26 –  Nurse

“Like they always say, it's the thought that counts.  Gift giving is always an opportunity for me to share my blessings. Christmas is the best time to share God's (the reason for the season) blessings. Exchanging gift is a fun way of gift giving among a group of friends. The shopping is exciting and of course, you work on a budget.  The manito manita song is also fun to sing before the gift giving.”

RC, 23 – Call Center Agent