Which Christmas Eve dinner commonly includes Filipino paelya?

Filipino paelya is commonly included in Nochebuena, the Philippines’ Christmas Eve dinner.

Nochebuena is the traditional Filipino Christmas feast held after the late-evening or midnight Mass associated with Christmas Eve. Families gather for an abundant meal, and paelya is one of the festive rice dishes that may appear alongside foods such as lechón, hamon, pancit, embutido, queso de bola, and Filipino spaghetti.

Paelya is a Filipino adaptation of Valencian paella, but it is not simply a copy of the Spanish dish. Filipino versions may use local ingredients and seasonings, including malagkit or other native rice, achuete for color, coconut milk in bringhe, chorizo, chicken, seafood, or hard-boiled eggs. The spelling paelya reflects Filipino usage and helps distinguish the dish from Spanish paella.

Nochebuena should not be confused with media noche. Media noche is the New Year’s Eve or New Year’s midnight feast in Filipino culture, while Nochebuena centers on Christmas Eve. La Tomatina is a Spanish tomato festival, and merienda cena means a snack-like evening meal rather than this specific holiday celebration.