The beloved Christmas in Marianas brings together enthusiastic school groups across the islands to carry on cherished cultural traditions and spread joy to the community each Christmas season. This year, school leaders and music directors Jimeian Pang from Agape Christian School and Karen Alla Manuel from Hopwood Middle School share what motivates their groups to dutifully participate each year and how they thoughtfully select meaningful songs to perform for audiences island-wide.
Carrying on traditions with passion
“It would not be Christmas without carols,” says Pang. For her students, the spirited contest serves as a chance to wholeheartedly “sing and spread the real meaning of Christmas as Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” Pang aims for her group’s musical selections to be thematically “relevant to the occasion,” spiritually “meaningful and inspiring,” and feature beautifully inspired “music to touch the heartstrings.”
Pang openly shares some of the challenges encountered, like gently encouraging shy students out of their comfort zones to project their voices with passion. But she happily adds that the memorable hours spent in preparations have also led to “a lot of fun and laughter” amongst the close-knit caroling troupe. Pang sees the contest as an opportunity for her students to “gain confidence in their abilities” and “overcome stage fright or nervousness.” By coming together harmoniously as one unified voice, she believes her tiny school is able to “join as a humble part of this big island community by doing our part in singing a few of the many festive Christmas songs to boost holiday spirit.”
Bridging cultures through harmonious songs
Meanwhile, Manuel sees the spirited contest as a golden chance to brightly “showcase the diverse talents and cultures” represented within the walls of multicultural Hopwood Middle School. Her ambitious and inclusive goal is to feature one meaningful song to honor the cherished musical traditions of Chamorro, Carolinian, and Filipino cultures which comprise most of the student body, along with a special Korean holiday song to celebrate that cultural heritage.
Manuel admits learning proper pronunciation of the foreign lyrics provided a fun challenge at the start but agrees wholeheartedly that persisting was “all worthwhile because we were able to give justice to each unique song.” She delightfully noticed the audiences enjoyed their hard work to bridge cultures and share in the performance. Like Pang, Manuel firmly believes such events as the Caroling Contest “help strengthen awareness of the diverse cultures on our islands and allow all groups to share in the infectious joy brought through these holiday songs.”
By dedicating hours to teach students of all backgrounds beloved holiday songs handed down through generations, these directors hope to keep cultural traditions alive in the hearts of younger generations to come. Through their jubilant voices, harmonious melodies, and bridging of cultures, the endearing spirit of Christmas shines as brightly as the Star over Bethlehem thanks to these devoted teachers and talented student carolers across the Marianas islands.
Dandan Middle School, Northern Marianas International School, Francisco Mendiola Sablan Middle School, and Saipan Community School also participated in the performance at DFS Saipan on December 9, 2023.
The HMS Glee Club, led by Glee Club director Karen Manuel.
Agape Christian School’s festive performance at Christmas in Marianas at DFS on December 9, 2023.
HMS showcased a memorable performance at Christmas in Marianas at DFS on December 9, 2023.
ACS carolers enchanting the audience during their performance at DFS on December 9, 2023.
