Arts & Culture

Spending the Holidays in the City? Here’s Where You Can Spend Your Christmas Eve!

Here’s where you can spend your Christmas Eve!

If you’re spending the holidays in the city this year, it’s good to plan your agenda beforehand so that all you have to do is relax and you don’t have to think about what to prepare because someone else will do that for you. If you’re planning on leaving your homes for the night, bring your loved ones because here are some of the things you could do on Christmas eve!

Spending Holidays at Pig & Palm

Loving the City Vibes? You can celebrate the holidays with flexible spaces and a sumptuous holiday menu right in the heart of the city at Pig & Palm. If you’re lucky, you might meet the Michelin-starred chef, Jason Atherton. For starters, you can choose from Prawn Cocktail with dill dressing, sun dried tomato and sourdough crisps or Chicken Liver Parfait. Christmas Eve dinner would not be complete without their main entrées which includes familiar favorites on the menu, but with the season’s twist such as a Roasted Turkey Breast and Pork Cutlet with caramelized apple, sage crumble and picked carrots. Finish your Holiday dinner with a Sticky Toffee with Christmas pudding ice cream.

Mövenpick Hotel & Resort

Feeling the Seaview on the holidays? On 24 December, indulge in a Swissmas Eve Buffet at The Sails restaurant, which showcases a wide display of this season’s culinary delights, classic confections and signature Swiss flavours. It’s a culinary treat with the best of the East and West, featuring a delectable variety of holiday specials and classic flavours from different regions. If you feel the call of the beach, you can visit the hotel for some splash and fun, and spend time at The Cabanas which is a perfect addition to your holiday.

Harolds Hotel

Christmas is definitely a special day! So on the eve and day of Christmas, Harolds Hotel offers a Lunch and Dinner buffet spread that will warm you up with traditional yet exciting flavors to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year. You can also stay here overnight in their Deluxe Room with special live performance of Kurio Band and a breathtaking view in their roof top.

Crimson Resort and Spa

If you want to get away from the city for a night, you can come to Crimson Resort and Spa’s Saffron Café. They will spoil you with a dinner menu filled with a smorgasbord of holiday staples. Dine on the 24th and 25th of December to enjoy the music of the season through the rendition of Cebu’s top saxophonists with the resort’s Spanish restaurant that will serve a signature 5-course menu. A weeklong party at Azure Beach Club gives guests three set menu options including seafood and meat platter selection with two side dishes with two glasses of wine or signature Christmas drink perfect for two.

Shangri-La Mactan Resort & Spa

Relish in a luxurious vibe this holiday season with Shangri-La’s Merry Feasts, offering Festive Dinner Buffets & Christmas Eve Dinner at Tides with free-flowing red, white and sparkling wine. They also have entertainment featuring a Christmas Choir, Flash Mob Dance, Balloon Sculpture, Strolling Bands and Christmas Lucky Star. At Acqua, they have a four-course dinner and a glass of Prosecco Wine with a magician table by table. You can also spend the night getting all sweetened up by their Lobby Lounge’s Chocolate High Tea Buffet.

Last minute shopping? Read more about holiday gift guides: https://zee.ph/gift-guides-for-every-kind-of-cebuano/

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Arts & Culture

What is Sappia? The Rice Myth Goddess of Bohol Who Helped Feed the People During a Great Famine

by Emma Gomez

The story began when the people of Bohol started to experience hunger and famine. All the livestocks were inedible and the fields were dried out leaving only weeds planted on the ground. The people prayed to the goddess of mercy, Sappia, to ask for food.

Sappia, the rice myth goddess of Bohol

Sappia, from the heavens, heard the cries of the people. She saw the dense population of weeds and offered to help them. Sappia thought of nourishing the weeds to be edible and healthy for the people of Bohol. Straightaway, she sprinkled the weed with milk from her bossom. She emptied each breast until blood came out. Before she left, she whispered to the weeds that they may be nourished and be able to feed the people.

When harvest season came, the people of Bohol quickly gathered the nourished weeds. They observed that the ones sprinkled with milk were white, while the other were red. They called the new plant rice and they replanted these in honor of Sappia, and for the people to devour.

Arts & Culture

Kimsoy’s Canvas of a Lifetime in Full Display

by Diana Gillo

There is nothing more fascinating than seeing an artist’s lifetime of work in one room. Such is the experience in Jose “Kimsoy” Yap’s third solo exhibit entitled “Kimsoy: Episodes of Mastery,” at Galerie Raphael Cebu. This serves as the truest form of homage to his enduring journey, showcasing works that span over decades.

The exhibit speaks greatly of Kimsoy’s evolution as an artist, with his shifting mediums and remarkable variety of subjects. His creations range from heartfelt portraits of individuals he encountered along his journey to detailed landscapes inspired by the different walks of his life. The room’s layout carries the weight of his years of craft with one wall lined with pastels, another with watercolors, and another with oil painting.

As the River Flows Onward by Kimsoy Yap 2020 | Oil on canvas | 82×48 inches

The exhibit transcends beyond just the commemoration of Kimsoy’s masterful periods. It wanders more into a sense of intimacy reflecting Kimsoy’s life’s journey—from his roots as a young boy in Negros Oriental, through his pursuit of greater artistic mastery in New York, to his prominence in Cebu’s art scene. All his work freehanded, created both with his left and right hand, depicts the ways in which we all leave traces of ourselves in our work and in the world.

A Friend of Mine 1979 | watercolor on paper | 24×18 inches

In a Relaxed Mood 1977 | water color on paper | 16×19.5 inches

The opening ceremony featured Ambassador Jose Mari Cariño, alongside special guests Ivy Ang Gabas, Paolo Li, Angbetic Tan, Laurie Bouquiren of the Visayas Art Fair, and Valerie Go of Galerie Raphael Cebu. The exhibit is open until March 21, 2025.

Arts & Culture

Art Fair Philippines 2025: A Celebration of Creativity

by Emcee Go

Art Fair Philippines 2025 transformed the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati City into a dynamic showcase of contemporary and modern art. From February 21 to 23, art enthusiasts and collectors were treated to an eclectic mix of visual masterpieces, interactive installations, and thought-provoking exhibits.

This year’s fair features an impressive lineup of local and international galleries, including renowned names like Leon Gallery, Metro Gallery, Orange Project, J Studio and from Cebu, Qube Gallery.