Philippines kicks off Christmas season

MANILA, Philippines, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Revelers in the Philippines have begun the world's longest Christmas season with the arrival of holiday decorations and other festive displays.

Signs of the Philippine Christmas season, which routinely begins Sept. 1 and runs for at least 115 days often extending past Dec. 25, have begun sprouting up, with the Christmas on Display show, a decades-old tradition involving a mannequin play starting in front of the Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan, ABS-CBN News reported Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Manila theme park Enchanted Kingdom said it is preparing to bring out artificial snow for those who catch the Christmas spirit in the tropical country.

Stores in the Manila area said they are already selling Christmas decorations including the parol, a Christmas lantern made from paper, bamboo, seashells or fiberglass.