Have you heard children singing a Christmas carol? Well, naga-daigon lang!

Music can be found everywhere in the world. It is, after all, the universal language. Since humans learned that we could bang sticks against objects, clap our hands and create rhythms, we have had music. There is no form of music, though, that has been embraced across the globe quite like Christmas music.

Likewise, the impact of Christmas music on the rest of the music world, both popular and traditional is substantial.

Music has the power to move people and more with Daigon, wherein it became an important tradition of Ilonggos, in which they could publicly demonstrate their piety and faith by singing popular Christmas songs.

Daigon is a Visayan word which refers to Christmas carols sung during the holiday season. It also refrs to the re-enactment of the Christmas story through songs.

As the word carol – a joyful song – suggests, carols bring all Ilonggos together and connect them in groups of shared experiences and feelings. One of the reasons why Christmas carols bring such sense of consolation and connection is surely because of the familiarity. Most of us have sung them since then. We pride ourselves of knowing the words. We bridle if we are asked to sing an old favorite to an unfamiliar tune.

Daigon is a unique tradition among Ilonggos where groups of singers go house to house as they serenade homeowners with Christmas songs. They usually prepare short songs complete with handmade musical instruments to enhance their performance. Songs such as “O Senyor Tagbalay, Sining Paskwa, Kita Magkinasadya and Paalam” are the songs they usually sing. A group of kids, as well as adults, would travel to villages with their guitar and other percussion instruments, expecting a handful of coins from the householders after singing Christmas carols under the twinkling stars in the sky. 

This in return, would mean that you should give them some token of appreciation in the form of money but you are not required to do so. Some manug- daigon (carolers) sing to raise funds for a noble purpose, and some just want to experience the Christmas spirit through singing.  Of course, for a group of children singing carols, they are more than happy if you spare them change for singing a Christmas song. To appreciate the gesture, homeowners usually give a certain amount. What a wonderful feeling it must be to sing the Daigon, what more if you sing with your friends or family, bringing the holiday spirit to other people? Indeed, Daigon is one of a kind.

Another interesting point that made Daigon so unique is how the carolers use recycled materials for their caroling like using the flattened bottle caps, strung with wire in the middle, as tambourines, or tin cans with plastic as drums. The caroling spirit from Filipinos can be felt all around. For much of culture and tradition, before the advent of technology, this was the way people participated in and enjoyed with. 

Daigon is ubiquitous with Ilonggo Christmas, and goes hand in hand with the tradition of the holiday. Whether Daigon is something that one enjoys or not, it has been a part of most of our childhoods, and has been around for years before that. It seems that music and Christmas have a symbiotic relationship, and will continue to bring cheer to many over the holiday season for years to come.