DO YOUR KIDS GET up super early on Christmas morning?
That’s great!
How about on Dec. 16, and every morning after that at 4 a.m. or earlier, for nine straight days through Dec. 24?
That’s even more impressive. Becky Tamondong fondly recalled her childhood in the Philippines when she and her sisters would do just that.
They excitedly would pounce out of bed at 3:45 a.m. to the sounds of a brass band passing down the street playing Christmas music to wake people up.
She and her sisters then would attend nine predawn Masses at their home parish in the city of Imus in the province of Cavite, culminating in a midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.
They would participate every year in the beloved Advent tradition in the Philippines known as Simbang Gabi, a devotional, nine-day series of Masses that Filipino Catholics attend in anticipation of Christmas.
The Mass held on Christmas Eve is called Misa de Gallo (“Mass of the Rooster”).
Simbang Gabi, introduced in 1669 during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, continues to be widely practiced by Filipino Catholics worldwide.
KICKOFF CELEBRATION
In the Diocese of Orange, the San Jose Filipino Ministry announced it would host a kickoff celebration of Simbang Gabi on Saturday, Dec. 14 at Christ Cathedral. The festivities begin with a procession in the church. Bishop Thanh Thai Nguyen celebrates Mass with the Holy Rosary Philippine Chamber Chorale providing liturgical music. The Mass will be followed by food, games, raffles, singing and more in the Large Gallery.
Tamondong is vice chair of the San Jose Filipino Ministry and helped organize this year’s Simbang Gabi kickoff event.
“My sisters and I made it a point to attend all nine days of the early morning Mass novena,” Tamondong recalled. “For us, complete attendance at the Simbang Gabi novena was a big achievement, and we repeated this year after year.”
Indeed, a well-known belief among Filipino Catholics is that if a person completes all nine days of the Simbang Gabi, God may grant a request to him or her as part of the novena.
A PAPAL FIRST
Simbang Gabi (literally, “Evening Mass,” but also known as “Mass at Dawn”) is intended to prepare the hearts, minds and spirits of the Filipino faithful for the arrival and birth of the baby Jesus. The tradition of holding nine dawn Masses leading to Christmas Eve (called Misa de Aguinaldo) is practiced in the Philippines and in Puerto Rico.
For Filipinos, it’s a festive and joyous tradition of family and friends gathering in camaraderie that includes indulging in Filipino delicacies such as a bibingka (rice cakes), puto bumbong (steamed purple rice pastries served with butter, grated coconut and brown sugar) often paired with tsokolate (hot chocolate) or salabat (ginger tea).
Why the early start?
Back in the old days, the predawn start was meant to accommodate agricultural workers before they went out to work the land.
That tradition has been upheld, although these days, many churches hold the novenas — liturgically celebrated in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary as well — in the evenings, too.
On Dec. 15, 2019, Pope Francis led the celebration of Simbang Gabi for the Filipino Catholic community at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City — the first time a pope led the traditional Mass.
A BELOVED TRADITION
Tamondong started attending Simbang Gabi in the sixth grade and continued through high school in Imus. She missed going to the Simbang Gabi when she started college and stayed in the dorms at the University of the Philippines campus away from home.
She said one of the highlights of Simbang Gabi came after Mass.
“Everyone trekked out to the snack stands on the church patio, which was filled with vendors selling treats,” she recalled. “My friends and I would meet up after Mass to savor this early morning treat, chat a little, and then get ready for school the rest of the day.”
She recalled wearing her Christmas finery — a new dress and shoes that her parents bought for her and her siblings every year — for the midnight Misa de Gallo on Christmas Eve.
“We would go to the Misa de Aguinaldo with our hearts filled with glee having completed the novena of early morning Masses to joyfully welcome the newborn Baby Jesus into our hearts.”
And the beloved tradition of Simbang Gabi continues in Orange County — and beyond.