Simbang Gabi

For Filipino Catholics, there is no Christmas without the Simbang Gabi. Simbang Gabi is a Filipino custom that has been forged centuries ago to prepare for Christmas Day by a novena of dawn masses. Originally, the nine-day masses were done only as dawn, as early at four o’clock in the morning, hence the name “Misa de Gallo,” literally the “mass of the cock,” that is, at the time that the cocks start crowing. This started in rural Philippines of those early times. Farmers woke up early and before they went to the fields, they first attended the Holy Mass. This custom also has a Marian motif. It is a devotion to Mother Mary as she expects the birth of her son. During Martial Law in the seventies, when curfew was imposed, in the urban areas they started to have anticipated Simbang Gabi masses in the evening before the curfew struck. In metropolis many people now prefer to go to mass in the evening to wait for the evening rush hour traffic to ease up. For many Filipinos overseas, they cannot have masses in the early morning because of the cold or other logistical reasons, so they have the Simbang Gabi in the late afternoon. Filipinos have adapted, but they must have the Simbang Gabi – the 9 days of masses in preparation for Christmas.

Nowadays many see the Simbang Gabi as an act of sacrificial love to complete the 9 days. It is really a sacrifice to wake up early or to go home late because it is done daily, especially for many working people, who have regular jobs. Thus it truly becomes a “Misa de Aguinaldo.” It is their gift to Jesus.  So they are happy to do it. They feel closer to the Lord and they are satisfied to do something special for him.

In the Church we find the Simbang Gabi a unique opportunity to enliven the faith of the people. Imagine, to have all our churches bursting at the seams with so many people praying for 9 consecutive days! When the preaching is done in the proper way, the people grow more in the knowledge of the faith listening to Bible readings and homilies. There are many people who do not regularly go to church but they make it a point to come to the Simbang Gabi masses. So, every year their faith is given a boost. Of course, not all have the good intention to really worship the Lord and pray. There are many who go to these masses because of the barkada, or because they want to watch the girls, or the boys. But God can make use of these mundane reasons to touch their hearts. Any small effort to draw close to God can have beneficial effects and can be an occasion for grace to enter their lives.

Many customs have grown because of the Simbang Gabi tradition. There are the bells that toll joyfully in the wee hours of the morning. The Christmas lanterns or parols and the Christmas lights regale the sight of people as they come to church in the darkness of the night or in the early morning. There are the native foods that await the church goers as they go home, like the puto bumbong, the bibingka or the hot chocolate drink that are now associated with Christmas. These have become added attractions for young and old which draw them to continue this practice. Indeed, Simbang Gabi has become a cultural feature for many.

The challenge for the institutional church is how to make the most out of this practice to bring people to faith in the Son of God who became one of us, the Immanuel. So, although the Advent season is one of the heaviest work load of the priests, we make it a point to attend to the needs of the people. There is already a thirst for God that is occasioned by this tradition. We do our best to quench this thirst by feeding the people well with good homilies and meaningful liturgical celebrations.