‘Simbang Gabi’ starts tomorrow morning

"Simbang gabi na! Pasko na!"

Filipino faithful will wake up to these words tomorrow and make their way to the nearest churches for the start of nine-day Misa de Gallo, so-called because these Masses are held at the break of dawn amid the crowing of roosters.

The simbang gabi is celebrated in the evenings, but are essentially the same in content as the Misa de Gallo.

Churches are well-lit to welcome churchgoers, and festooned with buntings and adorned with brightly lit parols or Christmas lanterns.

While many people balk at the thought of going out when the northeasterly wind can send them shivering on their way to church, they proceed anyway, to observe this religious tradition that dates back to Spanish colonial times.

According to the Catholic Church, this year’s nine-day novena, which ends on Christmas day — also called "Aguinaldo" (gifts) Masses — will be celebrated specifically for "the disadvantaged children and the disinherited, that they may be saved from further abuses and violence."

Priests saying Masses today until the end of the Advent season will also raise concerns for street children and other homeless young people and offer prayers that they may find people who will provide them care and guidance, the Catholic church also said.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) projects that there will be a rise in the number of churchgoers as the Christmas season begins, particularly at the start of the nine-day novena.

Monsignor Hernando Coronel, CBCP secretary general and spokesman, said this is probably because churchgoers are asking favors from God.

Coronel recalled that he had a friend who, during their senior year in high school, was getting low grades in school. His friend graduated from high school after completing the simbang gabi.

The CBCP spokesman believes that it was due to God’s help, together with his friend’s determination to study harder, that got him through high school.

Coronel reminded the public not to despair, even during these hard times.

"It may be a bleak Christmas due to problems. In spite of difficult times, (the faithful) still turn to God," he said.

Coronel noted that in the past, many Catholic faithful go to church, especially on Dec. 16, the start of the nine-day novena. The number of churchgoers lessen on the fifth and sixth days.

On the last day of the novena, the number of churchgoers peaks.

Coronel noticed that the number of churchgoers seems to rise every year – churches nationwide have added more masses during the Christmas season.