February 2024 Celebrations

Let us start off with the Lunar New Year today, February 10! To all Chinese in the Philippines and throughout the world, happy, happy Chinese New Year!

In Mandarin, "X?nnián h?o" is used, literally meaning 'New Year Goodness' or 'Good New Year' or "X?nnián kuàilè" literally meaning 'New Year happiness' --a formal greeting typically used for strangers, we learned.

Many of us are more familiar with the Cantonese greeting, "Gong hei fat choy" or “Wishing you happiness and prosperity.”

An added treat for this 2024 Lunar New Year is up in the skies! Until February 20, the Alpha Centaurids meteor shower will brighten the night sky with up to six meteors per hour that can be seen during its peak in certain areas.

This advice: “Meteor showers are best viewed with the naked eye when the radiant point is above the horizon. The number of visible meteors increases as the radiant point moves higher in the sky.”

Happy Chinese New Year and happy meteor shower viewing!

In France, every February 11, millions flock to the Sanctuary or Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, especially in the cave of Massabielle in the town of Lourdes, Hautes-Pyrénées, France where the first apparition of the Immaculate Conception was witnessed, on this day in 1858, by 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous.

Church-verified testimonies of our Lady of Lourdes’ miraculous healing bring millions every year to visit this grotto in France. Many also attest to personally experiencing “heaven on earth” while in the shrine where so much prayers, masses, songs, kindness, and unity are witnessed every day.

On the same day, February 11, Japan marks National Foundation Day. The emperor’s birthday is also a Japanese national holiday. This year, the current Emperor Naruhito’s birthday is on February 23.

The annual Japanese Film Festival will be shown in several locations throughout the country. Mark these dates for Cebu --February 16-25!

These following films will be shown, free admission, at SM Seaside:

Five animes: “The First Slam Dunk” (2022), “Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom” (2023), “Detective Conan The Movie: The Time-Bombed Skyscraper” (1997), “Detective Conan The Movie: The Private Eyes’ Requiem” (2004), “Voltes V: Legacy - The Cinematic Experience” (2023), and “Voltes V: The Liberation” (1977-1978) and the other films include  “We Made a Beautiful Bouquet” (2021), “Tokyo Story” (1953), “And Yet, You Are So Sweet” (2023), “Not Quite Dead Yet” (2020), “Angry Son” (2022), “MONDAYS: See You “This” Week!” (2022), “The Father of the Milky Way Railroad” (2022) and “A Man” (2022).

For more information about this February 2024 Japanese Film Festival, visit this link: https://japanesefilmfestph.jfmo.org.ph/#JFManila #JFF2024PH #EigaSai.

Then, there is perhaps the most-known February celebration throughout the world --February 14, Valentine’s Day, the day of love and hearts!

This day is also Ash Wednesday which marks the Church’s season of Lent.

One poster reminded all there is no VaLENTine without LENT. May we add, there is no LENT without LOVE and no VaLENTine without LOVE.

And for us, the event this February 14, 2024 is a celebration of God’s love and answer to our prayer for our LOVE OUR EARTH February campaign which will be launched officially with the wonderful partnership of DENR-7, EMB-7, DEPED-7, and DSWD-7 together with RCE-Cebu!

Thank you sincerely to these government partners as well as to Barangay Cabancalan Captain FK Remigio and other barangay officials and to Barangay Carreta Councilor Rhodora Pyls for their wonderful commitment for this campaign!

Awaiting with thanks all other partners for this campaign!

Then, February 25 is our EDSA People Power Revolution commemoration.

Despite ongoing attempts to have us Filipinos forget this proud moment when we ended the Marcos dictatorship, let us all remember always not to forget when united, we toppled a dictator and reclaimed our freedom --our handog ng Pilipino sa mundo!