Misa de Gallo signals start of Christmas season

Our country has always been known as the “Land of Fiestas” and tomorrow, December 16, officially signals the start of the “Mother of all Fiestas”, Christmas. Christmas is celebrated all over the world and in many different ways. Here in the Philippines, Christmas season starts with the time-honored observance of misa de gallo or simbang gabi.

The misa de gallo is one of the longest and most popular among the Filipino traditions in the country. For nine days, beginning on December 16 and culminating on December 24 with the misa de aguinaldo, or the midnight mass on Christmas eve, Filipinos wake up in the wee hours of the morning and brave the wintry weather, to attend dawn masses which usually start at 4 a.m., as an expression of devotion to God. It is also an expression of the devotion of Filipinos to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Star of the Morning who will bear and give birth to Jesus. The dawn masses are also considered as a novena because it is held for nine consecutive days. Traditionally, completing the novena is also supposed to mean that God would grant the devotee’s special wish or favor.

This practice started centuries ago during the Spanish colonial period. Christmas coincided with the rice harvest season when farmers have to be harvesting their crops at the crack of dawn. To accommodate the farmers who wanted to attend mass but could not leave their fields, the priests held early dawn masses. In the olden times, the pre-dawn mass is announced by the ringing of the church bells. In some provinces, brass bands play traditional Filipino Christmas songs and parish priests would knock on the doors of every home. The faithful flock to their churches, with the men looking resplendent wearing their barong and the women donning their elegant ternos. After mass, families gather in their homes to celebrate noche buena where they partake of customary Filipino delicacies like queso de bola, jamon, bibingka, puto bumbong and salabat or tsokolate.

Misa de gallo literally means Mass of the Rooster, to indicate it is held at dawn when the rooster crows. According to legend, the crowing of the rooster at the dawn of each morning symbolizes the daily triumph of light over darkness and the victory of good over evil. When Christ was born, a rooster announced his birth by crowing, “Christus Natus Est”, “Christ is born!” The misa de gallo signifies the coming of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord Savior, who sacrificed His own life to save us from our sins.

To most Filipinos, Christmas will always be the most eagerly awaited fiesta of the year. We have always believed that the fiesta is the highest form of community expression and it is during Christmas that this is most evident. Although we are separated geographically, it is only during this time when our countrymen seem to come together, forget their differences and be united for one purpose: to celebrate the coming of our Lord Savior, Jesus Christ, in true Philippine fiesta tradition.