BREWER, Maine — When Filipinos gather, they always bring food — and lots of it.
Two long tables were covered with traditional and exotic Philippine noodle and meat dishes, half a dozen different types of rice and sweet breads called ensaymada at the annual Filipino Christmas party held Saturday at the Eagles Club.
A mounded plate of lumpia, similar to spring rolls and served with a sweet dipping sauce, arrived late and disappeared in minutes.
“Filipinos love to eat and dance,” the master of ceremonies said, just before breaking into the song “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
Many of the 250 people gathered for the event joined her. Then a smaller group of participants — the ones born in the Philippines — sang “Merry Christmas” in Tagalog, the Philippine national language.
After going through the buffet line, the revelers faced two dessert tables covered with exotic fruits and brightly colored coconut balls called sepin, several varieties of sweet rice, a jellied rice dish called maha blanca, and torti, a spongy white sweet muffin made from coconut, and several types of cakes, including one with a caramel flan-type topping.
The party is held “to see each other and to get reacquainted and to meet new people,” event organizer Thelma Leonidas said as her husband, Dr. Leonardo Leonidas, a retired Bangor pediatrician, entertained youngsters with magic tricks. “We don’t see each other during our regular days.”
Besides celebrating Christmas, the biggest reason for the annual event is to bring together Filipinos, especially those born in the United States, and expose them to traditions from the Pacific islands, she said.
Leonidas, who has lived in Bangor for 37 years and is originally from the Philippine town of Aklan, was one of several dressed in traditional Philippine attire for the party. She wore a Kimona blouse featuring exquisite flower embroidery.
The couple is leaving for the Philippines in January and plans to split time between Maine and the islands in the years to come.
“This is my last time as organizer” of the Christmas party, said Leonidas, who has organized the holiday gathering for the last six years. “When it’s winter [next year], we’re going to be in the Philippines.”
Each family attending the gathering brought something to share, she said. The group has so grown large over the years, with people coming from Ellsworth, Steuben, Millinocket, Lincoln, Winterport, Hermon and numerous other communities, that it’s difficult keeping track of everyone, Leonidas said.
“This year … the head of the family will introduce the family, so we know where everybody came from,” she said. “As the years go by, we seem to be getting more people.”
The party is a reunion for some. Ryan Rebar, 14, of Harmony, met up with his cousin Fayanne Lipton, 18, of Machias, at the gathering, which both have attended for the last decade.
“It’s good to catch up with family,” he said.
The teens did what teens do and spent a good portion of the night using their cell phones to text friends and each other.
After the meal and dancing, Santa walked into the Christmas party all decked out in his red suit and white beard carrying a bag of toys, one for each of the children.