Cafra arrived at Nomasis village just as dusk began to settle over the land. The sky glowed in warm shades of orange, fading slowly into the night, while the village itself seemed to shine brighter with every step he took forward.
The village is full of Christmas decorations from rows of colorful banderitas fluttered overhead, strung across the streets like welcoming banners. Christmas lights wrapped around trees, posts, and balconies, blinking gently along with the rhythm of the village. And every house displayed glowing parols, their star shaped forms casting warm reflections of different colors.
There's a lot of people, and there are also tourists that are walking around the village. Laughter can be heard between buildings, children ran through the streets, tourists wandered admiring decorations and snapping photos of the lively street. Music played somewhere in the distance. Festive drums mixed with cheerful chatter creating an atmosphere that felt warm, alive, and almost unreal.
As Cafra walked through the crowd, everyone greeted and smiled at him.
"Good evening!"
"Welcome to our village"
"Enjoy the festival!"
He nodded politely, returning their greetings.
Cafra: "Wow, you can already feel the holiday in this village. But man, its almost Christmas and I cant even celebrate with my family and friends. I wonder how they're doing."
Lost in thought, he bumped into an elderly woman who suddenly stood before him. She smiles at him warmly.
Lady: "Hello there young man. Are you here to watch the ati-atihan?"
Cafra: "Uhhmm.. Hi. I'm just passing by. But it's very lively in here. It makes me think it's Christmas already."
Lady: "Do you know anyone from this village? Like a family member, or a friend?"
Cafra: "No ma'am. I'm not from here and it's my first time in this village."
Lady: "Why don't you stay for the day and enjoy the festival? We have alot of shops, games, and different rides at the peryhahan you can enjoy. It's the best time of the year in our village."
Cafra: "Ohh.. no.. It's okay. I have to be somewhere."
Lady: "Oh come on now. A day wouldn't hurt, would it? Just stay for a bit so you can see the parade.
Cafra: "Uhm… Okay. I guess I'll go look around and wait for the parade."
Lady: "That's the spirit! Ohh! And by the way, we are having dinner tonight before the ati-atihan starts. You should come over and join us. We have a lot of food. My house is just by the barangay hall."
Cafra: "Okay. I'll come over when I get a chance."
Cafra nods and smiles at the lady. The lady proceeds to greet and talk to other tourists in the village.
Cafra: "That lady sure is super nice. Especially for a stranger like me. Well, I don't have much money so I guess I'll just go to the peryahan and play some games."
Cafra walked around the peryahan, played a couple of games and made some money. The place is slowly getting packed as more people comes to the peryahan. Slowly getting tired. Cafra decides to call it a day.
Cafra: "It sure is getting packed and busy in here." *stomach grumbles. "I guess I'll take that lady's offer."
Cafra walked through the village looking for the Lady's house. He heads toward the barangay hall and looked around.
Cafra: "Now… Which one is her house?"
He heard a voice, calling out someone. But he couldn't see who it is because the place is too crowded full of people.
Lady: "Young man! Over here! Come over. We are just about to start dinner."
He spotted the woman waving at him from a large house near the hall. Relieved, Cafra hurried over. Cafra went inside the house, he was surprised the house is larger than he expected. Lights illuminated wide rooms, and conversations from different people can be heard softly off the walls. He noticed that It's not just family members that are gathered but there are also tourists.
Cafra: *In his head. "This lady is very nice. She even invited a lot of tourists. And her house is huge."
Visitor1: "Hey man, That lady sure is very nice, huh? Most of us here are visitors from different places. She offered us to join this dinner. And even offered us a play to spend the night."
Cafra: "Really? She offered you a place to stay here?"
Visitor1: "Yes. Here in her house."
Visitor2: "Yeah. I wasn't really gonna come here but I couldn't say no to her. Also it's free dinner."
Cafra: "So.. Where are you guys from? If you don't mind me asking."
Visitor1: "I'm from India, But I moved here as an exchange student. I came here for the festival."
Visitor2: "I'm from the US. I travel to different places to do vlogging."
Cafra: "Wow. Well. There's alot of things you can see here in our country. I am sure you will have alot of fun on your stay here."
Visitor2: "Yeah. Tomorrow I will be going to the city and try out some restaurants there."
Cafra: "It must be nice to be able to travel to different places."
Visitor2: "Yes and No. Sometimes you end up to a place where they don't treat a tourist like me nicely. Some people are just mean."
Cafra: "I agree with you on that. I know people from this country can be mean. Not just towards the tourists but sometimes towards our own people."
Visitor1: "Man, I am getting really hungry. Walking and playing games for a long time at the peryahan drains you alot."
As they continued to talk. The door opened.
Lady: "Everybody, the food is almost ready. We will have a nice dinner, and after that we will hang out in the entertainment room as we wait for the parade to start. Please make yourselves comfortable and let us all enjoy this night."
Everyone sat on the long table. One by one people starts bringing in food. Everyone was amazed by the delicious food prepared for them. They all smell really good and it made their mouth water. They all waited patiently until the last dish was brought in, a whole lechon, crispy, glistening, mahogany brown colored skin. They all couldn't wait to start the feast.
Lady: *sits on her chair. "Everyone. Thank you for coming and joining us for dinner. Please. Help yourself and enjoy the food. Now, let's eat."
The feast began. Everyone starts digging in. Cafra, being a bit shy, eats slowly. He took a piece of the lechon and took a good bite. He was surprised how tasty it was. He wanted more. He looked around and saw everyone couldn't stop taking a piece from the lechon. He continues to eat more.
Cafra: "This is unbelievably good! Crispy skin, tender meat bursting with flavor!"
Visitor2: "Hey. I thought you guys don't eat pork? Why are you chomping at that lechon like a mad dog? Haha"
Visitor1: "Oh don't worry about me, my friend. I'm not one of the people who are like that. I eat whatever it is that taste good."
Cafra: "These are just too good. I can't stop eating."
Visitor1: "Slow down, my friend. Make some room in your tummy. Here is the next batch of food.
Cafra kept taking pieces from the lechon. He eats one piece after another. And another.. Around him, guests eagerly carved into the lechon, unable to stop themselves. The sound of chewing, laughter, and clinking of utensils filled the room.
Across the table, Cafra noticed a man sitting with his arms crossed, eyes closed. He noticed he wasn't eating. Cafra frowned slightly but he ignored it and went on. He didn't know how much he's eaten but he kept on without even feeling full. Slowly, he started feeling sleepy. Eyes slowly closing and even if he try he couldn't stay awake. Then after a few minutes, Cafra passed out.