Philippines is known for its wealthy culture and traditions, and one of its Christmas traditions is the Simbang Gabi. We have also earned the distinction of celebrating the longest Christmas season in the world with with Christmas carols are heard as early as September.

According to Wikipedia traditionally, Christmas Day in the Philippines is ushered in by the nine-day dawn masses that start on December 16. Known as the Misa de Gallo (Rooster’s Mass) in the traditional Spanish and in Filipino as Simbang Gabi, or “Night Mass”, this novena of Masses is the most important Filipino Christmas tradition.

These nine dawn Masses are also considered as a Novena by the Catholic and Aglipayan faithfuls. This refers to the Roman Catholic and Aglipayan practice of performing nine days of private or public devotion to obtain special graces.

In some parishes, the Simbang Gabi begins as early as four o’clock in the morning. Going to mass this early for nine consecutive days is meant to show the churchgoer’s devotion and faith as well as to heighten anticipation for the Nativity of Jesus. In traditional Filipino belief, however, completing the novena is also supposed to mean that God would grant the devotee’s special wish or favour.

After hearing Mass, Filipino families partake of traditional Philippine Christmastime delicacies, either during breakfast at home or immediately outside the church, where they are sold. Vendors offer a wealth of native delicacies, including bibingka (rice flour and egg based cake, cooked using coals on top of and under the pastry), puto bumbong (a purple sticky rice delicacy which is steamed in bamboo tubes, with brown sugar and shredded dried coconut meat served as condiments), salabat (hot ginger tea) and chokolate (thick Spanish cocoa). In some Aglipayan churches, after the mass everybody is invited to partake the “painit” (after mass snacks of delicacies with hot coffee or tsokolate) at the house of the sponsor of the mass.

In recent times, even the Evangelical Christians, and other independent Christian Churches have started holding services in the early mornings like the ones that are being done by the Catholics and some Mainline Protestant.

Today is the start of Simbang Gabi here in the Philippines and I hope that all of us could make it till the last day of novena.

Christmas is really getting sooner, and I hope all of us could have a merry Christmas. Let’s also pray for the sake of our brothers and sisters who were devastated by the previous catastrophes hit the country.

I wish you a merry Christmas!

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