‘Simbang Gabi’: 9-day Christmas countdown

Filipino Catholics, who make up about 90 percent of the population in the country, start in earnest today the Christmas season celebrations with the holding of the daily Simbang Gabi (dawn masses) culminating with the Misa de Gallo on the eve of the 24th of December.

But are the faithful still aware of the relevance of the daily masses leading to Christmas Day?

For the Gen Z, or people born between the mid-1990s and mid-2010s, the Simbang Gabi provides them an opportunity to flaunt new apparel while bonding with friends, sometimes noisily to the chagrin of the devout.

But for the pious, completing the nine-day Simbang Gabi entails sacrificing an hour or two best spent sleeping — to ask for special favors or to thank God for blessings already granted.

Irene Montero, a 69-year-old catechist at Our Lady of Resurrection Parish in Barangay Paltok, Quezon City, told Daily Tribune she's been attending Simbang Gabi and Misa de Gallo since her elementary days.

"My family religiously attended Misa de Gallo during the 70s because our parents told us that completing the nine days would mean a gift from the Lord. They taught us to always think of the best wishes we can ask and those will be granted upon the conclusion of the masses," she said.

Wish granted

As a grownup, Mrs. Montero said she realized that the gifts are more of the blessings that people receive from God even without asking for them, like getting daily sustenance and being kept safe from harm.

"The most vivid wish that was granted me was being allowed to serve the Lord through catechism. I was offered (the position) by our priest in the 90s after years of serving in the parish as an assistant," she recounted.

"I always wanted to spread the word of God. That, for me, is the greatest gift. I am satisfied with what is available and what I have. But what I am always praying for during the Misa de Gallo is the best health that the Lord can give my family and loved ones," Mrs. Montero said.

Asked if she will pass on the tradition to her sons and daughters, she said she has already done so.

"Misa de Gallo should not just be passed on to the younger generation, but also for them to understand its importance. It is a legacy that should always be part of the faith of Catholic Christians," she said.

"God does not stop giving us miracles, whether we finish the nine-day masses or not. What is important is you absorb and put into action all the teachings that the Holy Mass is imparting us," she said.

"Belief without action is a dead faith. God's grace to humanity does not stop, and miracles always overflow because He always provides us all the miracles we need."

Aspiration

Gloria Sereno, 45, a resident of Lopez, Quezon said she was raised by her parents to religiously attend and finish the Simbang Gabi during her younger days in the 80s also to receive "miracles."

"Until now, even though it's hard to wake up early because I have a small business to attend to daily, I will finish this year's Misa de Gallo. I have one wish this Christmas — for my eldest son to fulfill his dreams to board international vessels as a seafarer," she said.

"I don't have any wish but to see that all of my children's wishes and dreams are fulfilled. I think that is the noblest aspiration every mother can have for their children — to see them happy and content in life," Sereno said.

The Misa de Gallo, or the "Mass of the Rooster," was a tradition introduced by the Spanish friars to allow the farmers to hear Mass before going to the fields before the sun rises.