Henry Sy

Henry Sy, Sr. (born December 25, 1923) is the founder and chairman of SM Prime Holdings, the largest retailer in the Philippines. He earned his Associate of Arts degree in Commercial Studies at Far Eastern University in 1950. Acknowledged as the country’s "Retail King," he has come a long way from the modest shoe store he set up in Quiapo in 1946, to become Asia's biggest shopping mall operator with 30 malls throughout the Philippines.

He is the Philippines' richest man, gaining 1.4 billion dollars in 2007, amid the global financial crisis. The huge gain was due to his holding company, SM Investments Corp., which has interests in Banco de Oro Universal Bank, inter alia. Forbes magazine's 2008 list of 40 wealthiest Filipinos, revealed the Sy family's net worth was 3.1 billion dollars. Earlier, he was the 2nd wealthiest individual in the Philippines, next to Lucio Tan and (as of 2008) 843rd in the world. Sy is considered a Tai-Pan or tycoon of Asia. As of 2006, Forbes magazine ranked him as the 14th richest person in Southeast Asia; "Henry Sy and family" is ranked the 74th richest in the "Asia and Australia" region, and 512th richest in the world. (In the absence of evidence to support such higher claims, the Forbes numbers should taken as a "best-guess" estimate for the time being.)

Greenhills Shopping Center

Greenhills Shopping Center is a shopping center in the city of San Juan in the Philippines. It has over 2,000 stores, and espouses an 'indoor-outdoor' theme, with the shopping center having the appearance of several distinct buildings (some separated by a main road) that are all interconnected through pathways and bridges. It hosts a Roman Catholic chapel and a Muslim prayer room, a development which sparked protests from the local Christian-dominated community. The shopping center is bounded by Ortigas Avenue on the west, Connecticut Street on the south, Club Filipino (also known as McKinley), Eisenhower, and Annapolis streets on the north, and Missouri Street on the east. This mall faces the tip end of Wilson Street.

Malls:
Annapolis Carpark Square: a carpark hosting computer shops and popular fast-food franchises such as Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, KFC, and Yoshinoya.
The Jewellery: a vaulted hallway that leads to a plethora of jewellery shops.
Connecticut Carpark: a carpark featuring restaurants and bars on the ground floor. Trendy and upscale.
Bridgeway Shops: a strip of shops and stores located between the elevated bridge leading to the Connecticut Carpark and the 2nd floor of the Centermall, where various cellphone shops are found.
The Shops: a wide hallway featuring local and foreign boutiques, Cinnabon and Watsons, a drugstore.
LifeStyle Center: contains a sports center and antique merchandise, such as furnitures, old coins and other memorabilia.
Beauty Central: contains salons, beauty parlors, and diet restaurants
McKinley Arcade: features upscale restaurants specializing in Filipino cuisine.
The Strip: features Chinese and other Asian restaurants.
Theater Mall: contains cinemas and a few boutiques, software shops, and restaurants.
Promenade: contains cinemas, restaurants, KTV, concert hall, and book shops. Trendy and upscale, and a popular destination for young people.
Music Museum
Shoppesville Arcade: One of the older shopping centers in the Greenhills Shopping Center. Made up of 4 levels. The lower 2 levels contain various shops, selling local and imported merchandise. The 3rd level is mostly composed of stores selling RTWs, toys, and other gadgets. The 4th level, known as Shoppesville Plus, hosts many computer shops formerly located Virra Mall, before it was renovated into the new V-Mall.
V-Mall: contains computer shops, some boutiques, some of SM Prime's stores, a bookstore and a food court.

Parol

Though not strictly a custom, every Christmas season, Filipino homes and buildings are adorned with beautiful star lanterns, called parol (Span. farol, meaning lantern or lamp-Merriam Webster - English English- Spanish Dictionary). The earliest parols were traditionally made from simple materials like bamboo sticks, Japanese rice paper (known as "papel de Hapon") or crepe paper, and a candle or coconut oil-lamp for illumination; although the present day parol can take many different shapes and forms. The most base form of the lantern is a 5-pointed star with two "tails" at the lower two tips. Other variations are 4, 8, 10 pointed stars with the rarer 6, 16 and so on pointed stars. The parol is also traditionally made of lacquered paper and bamboo, but others are made of cellophane, plastic, rope, capiz shell and a wide variety of materials. Making parols is a folk craft, and most Filipino kids have tried their hand at making a parol at one time or another, maybe as a school project or otherwise. The most basic parol can be easily constructed with just ten bamboo sticks, paper, and glue. These lanterns represent the Star of Bethlehem that guided the Magi, also known as the Three Wise Men or Three Kings (Tatlong Hari in Tagalog). Parols are to Filipinos as Christmas trees are to Westerners- an iconic and beloved symbol of the holiday.

Parol

Though not strictly a custom, every Christmas season, Filipino homes and buildings are adorned with beautiful star lanterns, called parol (Span. farol, meaning lantern or lamp-Merriam Webster Spanish- English English- Spanish Dictionary). The earliest parols were traditionally made from simple materials like bamboo sticks, Japanese rice paper (known as "papel de Hapon") or crepe paper, and a candle or coconut oil-lamp for illumination; although the present day parol can take many different shapes and forms. The most base form of the lantern is a 5-pointed star with two "tails" at the lower two tips. Other variations are 4, 8, 10 pointed stars with the rarer 6, 16 and so on pointed stars. The parol is also traditionally made of lacquered paper and bamboo, but others are made of cellophane, plastic, rope, capiz shell and a wide variety of materials. Making parols is a folk craft, and most Filipino kids have tried their hand at making a parol at one time or another, maybe as a school project or otherwise. The most basic parol can be easily constructed with just ten bamboo sticks, paper, and glue. These lanterns represent the Star of Bethlehem that guided the Magi, also known as the Three Wise Men or Three Kings (Tatlong Hari in Tagalog). Parols are to Filipinos as Christmas trees are to Westerners- an iconic and beloved symbol of the holiday.

New Year's Eve

On December 31, New Year's Eve ("Disperas ng Bagong Taon"), Filipino families gather for the Media Noche or midnight meal – a feast that is also supposed to symbolize their hopes for a prosperous New Year. In spite of the yearly ban on firecrackers, many Filipinos in the Philippines still see these as he traditional means to greet the New Year. The loud noises and sounds of merrymaking are not only meant to celebrate the coming of the New Year but are also supposed to drive away bad spirits. Safer methods of merrymaking include banging on pots and pans and blowing on car horns. Folk beliefs also include encouraging children to jump at the stroke of midnight so that they would grow up tall, displaying circular fruit and wearing clothes with dots and other circular designs to symbolize money, eating twelve grapes at 12 midnight for good luck in the twelve months of the year, and opening windows and doors during the first day of the New Year to let in the good luck.

Christmas in the Philippines

Christmas in the Philippines, one of two predominantly Catholic countries in Asia, is one of the biggest holidays on the calendar. The country has earned the distinction of celebrating the world's longest Christmas season, with Christmas carols are heard as early as September and the season lasting up until Epiphany.

There are various ethnic groups in the Philippines with different Christmas traditions. The following illustrates common activities for celebrating Christmas in the Philippines.

In urban areas, especially in Metro Manila, many schools and offices organize Christmas parties, which usually held during the second week of December. Common activities include Kris Kringle, song and dance numbers, a skit or play, and parlor games as well as food being served.