Simbang Gabi: An enduring reminder of the coming of Christ
MANILA – In the next few days, churches all over the Philippines will be opening their doors at the crack of dawn to welcome thousands of Catholic devotees attending the so-called Simbang Gabi or dawn masses.
From December 16 until the eve of Christmas on December 24, the Simbang Gabi will be celebrated in preparation for the coming of Christ. Indeed, it is the time for the longest Christmas tradition in the country.
Simbang Gabi is a nine-day novena offered to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a long-kept tradition by the Filipino people to usher in the birth of Christ.
The masses usually start at 4 a.m. and finish at 5 a.m., except on Christmas eve when it is held at midnight.
After the midnight mass celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, Filipino families gather for the traditional “Noche Buena” and exchange of gifts.
This enduring custom of attending mass at dawn came all the way from Mexico. It is believed that a certain Fray Diego de Soria asked permission from the Pope in 1587 to hold Christmas mass outdoors to be able to welcome all the attendees of the evening liturgical event.
It was in the 1600s that the custom was begun by Spanish friars in the Philippines, or during the early years of Christianity in the country.
In olden times, most Filipinos were farming people who rose at daybreak to till the lands. In their desire to spread Christianity among the locals, the Spanish friars introduced the dawn masses so the latter could go to church before going to the fields. Thus, the name “Misa de Gallo.”
The word “gallo” is a Spanish word which means rooster, while “misa” means mass. The farmers and their families would wake up to the first crow of the rooster and attend mass at the church nearest their homes.
From the 1600s to the present time, Filipinos have continued to anticipate the coming of Christ through Simbang Gabi.
As hundreds of years before, church bells ring to signify the start of the dawn masses and people still eagerly go to church.
As signs of the times, however, colorful lights, Christmas parols, and the Belen or the Nativity scene go hand-in-hand with the Simbang Gabi. Popular delicacies like “puto bungbong” and “bibingka” have become staples for churchgoers after attending dawn masses, too.
Filipinos who have come to live permanently or to work in other countries have brought this Christmas tradition with them wherever they are.
Elsewhere in the world, some Filipinos still wake up at dawn or go to church at night to attend the Simbang Gabi.
A tradition that has been observed for three centuries now, the Simbang Gabi is truly a custom embedded not only in the culture but in the hearts of the Filipino people.
Be that as it may, what is more essential is the reason for holding these dawn masses – the preparation for the coming, and more importantly, the birth, of Christ.*PNA
