After three years, the annual UST Paskuhan with the theme “Pananabik, Pagbabalik, at Panunumbalik” was back on site and live streamed through the UST Tiger TV Facebook page on December 19, 2022.
The on-ground celebrations of Paskuhan started with the Panunuluyan on December 1, which is a traditional re-enactment of Joseph and Mary’s search for lodging right before the birth of Christ.
The following day, UST then lit its 21.5-hectare Manila campus with festive Pinoy superhero-inspired lights and decorations, including a 70-foot Christmas tree, at the Plaza Mayor. The four main drives and prominent locations within the campus, including the Main Building facade, Plaza Mayor, Benavides Monument and Park, Arch of the Centuries, Grandstand, Fountain of Knowledge and Wisdom, and the Quadricentennial Square, were lit with yellow, red, and blue energy-saving LEDs (light-emitting diodes).
This coincided with the annual UST Christmas Concert Gala, led by the Conservatory of Music, and the Agape, a Christmas feast.
The UST Rector Very Rev. Fr. Richard G. Ang, O.P., in his homily during the Paskuhan Mass on December 16, emphasized that, “Nagbabalik ang pananampalataya, ang pag-asa at ang buhay na dala ng liwanag ng Pasko. Panahon din ito ng ating pagbabalik-loob sa ating Diyos.”
“Let us allow the grace of Christmas time to make us better versions of ourselves,” said the Father Rector.
On December 19, the University’s Christmas festivities were capped off with a much-awaited concert. Hosted by Thomasian students, the event featured guest performers and showcased homegrown Thomasian talents.
Three Thomasian bands, Sean Archer, Lucy, and Illumina, emerged as winners in the “Stellaris Unbound: Tunog Tomasino 2022″ held on December 5. As a result, they joined the Paskuhan mainstage alongside guest artists, such as Mayonnaise, Adie, Lola Amour, Soapdish, Dotty’s World, Kenaniah, and Earl Generao.
BA Dauncén, UST Nursing Dance Troupe, UST Engineering Dance Troupe, Paci Rhutmos, UST Pharmacy Dance Troupe as well as the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe, Sinag, and UST Yellow Jackets also graced the stage to hype the crowd with their cheers and dance performances.
Aside from the presentations, the concert also highlighted the excellence of Thomasian athletes in the UAAP Season 85, as they have been reaping laurels in various sports categories.
The Paskuhan Concert 2022 culminated in the much-awaited pyromusical exhibition.
Since 1991, the Paskuhan celebration has been the Thomasian communities’ unique celebration of Christmas. During the Paskuhan season, the campus was lit every evening after the 6:00 P.M. Angelus, until the end of the Christmas season on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord on January 8, 2023.
