The chilly Christmas air notwithstanding, huge crowds of devotees and believers are attending for nine consecutive days the masses set at 4 a.m. or 5 a.m., culminating on Dec. 24, Christmas Eve, with the “Misa de Gallo” (rooster’s mass) at midnight.

This is, indeed, a significant and meaningful time for the devoutly Catholic Filipinos whose faith is intensified as they prepare spiritually for Christmas.

As an expression of faith, filial love, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Manila Archbishop Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales on Wednesday called on the Catholic faithful to look at the tradition as a journey with the Holy Mother.

He said, “as we prepare for the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ through the unique Filipino tradition of ‘Simbang Gabi,’ may the faith of Mary, the Mother of God, and the mother of the Filipino nation, inspire us to receive in our hearts and home, God’s surpassing ‘aguinaldo’ in the person of Jesus. Let us keep her company through prayers and good works so that she may also keep us company as we journey toward the fulfillment of God’s promise of peace in our nation and the world.”

The changing times do not break the preservation of celebrating the solemnity of the “Simbang Gabi.” Although there are now anticipated masses, usually at 8 to 9 pm, being held in some parishes to accommodate more people like office workers and students, still, the very essence of the tradition lives on. It is truly one of the legacies of faith brought to Philippine shores by Spanish evangelizers from Mexico to teach the people the true meaning of Christmas and how to prepare spiritually for the coming of the Messiah.

From the onset, the introduction of the dawn masses was an evangelizing moment – when rich and poor, men and women, young and old, come together as a community waiting in joyful anticipation for the coming of the Savior and rejoicing in His promise of salvation.

An age-old tradition with deep roots in the country’s religious culture, “Simbang Gabi” dates back to 1565 when Spanish “conquistador” Miguel Lopez de Legazpi celebrated the first feast of the Nativity of Christ. The practice originated in Mexico when in 1587, Fray Diego de Soria, prior of the Convent of San Agustin Acolman, asked permission from the Holy Father to hold Christmas masses outdoors to accommodate the huge number of early churchgoers who included the farmers who woke up early to work. During the 16th century, Pope Sixtus V decreed that the dawn masses should also be held in the Philippines every 16th of December. At that time, it gave the farmers a chance to hear mass before working in the fields.

Known as “Misa de Aguinaldo” (gift mass), the faithful offered it as their “aguinaldo” to the Lord, waking up very early in the morning for nine days to attend the dawn masses in thanksgiving for the great gift of Jesus, the Savior.

During the old times, the dawn masses were heralded by the ringing of church bells, while in the rural areas, a brass band played Christmas carols through the streets an hour before the mass.

In the traditional Filipino belief, many attend the “Simbang Gabi,” to obtain special graces, believing that completing the nine-day dawn masses will make the devotee’s wish, petition, or favor asked come true.

Christine Hermoso, Manila Bulletin