On Nov. 29, the Filipino Community of Seattle (FCS) held the 5th Annual Tree Lighting & Night Market at their community center on Martin Luther King Jr Way South in Seattle. The tree was placed in the Kern-Veloria Plaza in front of the Filipino Community Village senior housing complex.
Spirits were high even before the tree lighting. FCS senior carolers at the foot of the tree, their breath visible in the cold night, sang Christmas songs first in both English and Tagalog for the crowd. Some in the crowd joined in, others watched with big smiles, and more than a few lifted smartphones, streaming live video calls with their families across the world to share this special Seattle tradition.
The FCS Tree Lighting & Night Market once again brought together the time-honored tradition of lighting the Christmas tree at the community center. Also part of the evening were multi-generational Filipino dance performances, a youth gingerbread house competition, and a vendor market showcasing Pinoy artisans and organizations.
The evening began in the packed hall of FCS. Young performers from the FCS Kalahi Cultural Dance Ensemble kicked off, quite literally with energetic performances. Afterwards, brass band members led attendees to Kern-Veloria Plaza for the Christmas lighting ceremony. Following the lighting, attendees took part in hanging ornaments on the tree.
To close out the evening, the Dazzling Divas of FCS—a social dance senior group organized as part of FCS programs—shashayed across the dance floor in the hall with lively performances and bright, colorful outfits.
As FCS’ primary holiday party service, the event also embodied how the organization fulfills their mission by serving the community through multigenerational educational programs, senior services, dance and language classes, and advocacy.
Theodore Kenzo Dante Bickel is a Seattle-based photographer who has contributed to the International Examiner since 2024. He uses visual storytelling to showcase the vitality of the Chinatown-International District and contemporary Asian American communities in Seattle. He is Shin-Nikkei Japanese American. Born in Portland, Oregon, he grew up in the wilds of southwest Washington state. Theo, or “Tay-o” as his friends call him, found himself putting down roots in the C-ID shortly after arriving in Seattle in 2013. He has spent over a decade working in C-ID community non-profits in development, community engagement, civil rights advocacy, and communications. Theo was one of seven Seattle-based Asian American photographers that published the photography exhibit “Through the Eyes of a Tiger” in May 2023. The photo exhibit blended holistic, not homogenous, views of the C-ID in a critical time of regrowth and development.
