Filipino Christmas Tradition Simbang Gabi – Devotees attend the nine-day pre-dawn mass, locally known as ‘Simbang Gabi’, before Christmas at a church in Manila, Philippines on December 16, 2016. (CNS Photo/Eric De Castro, Reuters)
Every year around this time, Filipinos from home and abroad flock to churches at dawn to celebrate Simbang Gabi, one of the Novenas of Christmas Masses. In the Philippines, where you don’t have to wait until after Halloween and Thanksgiving, the popular Christmas season starts as early as September. For Filipinos living in the US, starting Christmas this early can be even more difficult. But from December 16 to 24, Filipinos around the world turn to their cultural roots in anticipation of the birth of Christ.
Filipino Christmas Tradition Simbang Gabi
From December 16 to 24, Filipinos around the world return to their cultural roots in anticipation of the birth of Christ.
The Significance And Origin Of Simbang Gabi
According to Victor Iclar Romero, an independent scholar of Philippine language and history, this tradition can be traced back to Mexico. In the late 16th century, a Spanish Augustinian priest, Fray Diego de Soria, sent a request to Pope Sixtus V for permission to celebrate Mass outside his Mexican missions. The idea was to hold open public gatherings to encourage local devotion. The Pope authorized the Augustinians to hold these masses between December 16 and 24, and they became known as the “Misa de Aguinaldo,” the Spanish word for Christmas gift. (In Mexico, the Misa de Aguinaldo is tied to another ongoing Christmas tradition: las posadas.)
The Spanish-Mexican devotion reached the Philippines through the missionary efforts of the Augustinians and was adopted by other missionary orders. The masses were kept in and out of the houses at dawn so that the Filipinos, who were mostly agricultural laborers and fishermen, could attend before going to work.
Simbang Gabi, which means “night mass” in Tagalog, is celebrated at dawn in many rural areas of the Philippines.
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Simbang Gabi, which means “night mass” in Tagalog, is still celebrated at dawn in many rural areas of the Philippines. Around city centers, parishes celebrate Simbang Gabi in the evening to accommodate those who work during the day. Devotion to the novena is so popular that in recent years bishops have asked priests not to celebrate it at Simbang Gabi Mall and other public places.
Each of the nine days leading up to Christmas is its own festival. Churches are decorated
, which are star-shaped lanterns usually made of colored paper, bamboo or capiz shells. Singers sing traditional Christmas carols and are given special permission to sing the “Gloria”, which is usually omitted during the apparition. Food vendors prepare Filipino delicacies for mass-goers to eat in the church courtyard.
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Filipino immigrants carry this cherished tradition with them wherever they go. Some parishes, such as St. Francis of Assisi in New York, hold traditional novena masses in the evening. “Most of us get homesick around Christmas,” said Jenny Avila, organizer of the parish’s Simbang Gabi celebration. “Simbang Gabi helps us connect with our country and our relatives.” About 100 people from the five boroughs fill the Manhattan church each night. Although most of the Mass was in English, people sitting in the pews said they wanted to hear parts of the Mass e.g
In suburban areas of the United States, Filipino groups often hold a traveling simbang gabi, where different churches hold a mass and reception each night. With plenty of Filipino food, Christmas caroling and folk dancing, these celebrations are reminiscent of the early simbang gabi, when farm workers were given time off from the fields to celebrate.
Simbang Gabi was also given to the children of Filipino immigrants. The University of San Francisco holds a Simbang Gabi on campus every year before Christmas break. Since the matriculation examination usually falls before the traditional novena, Simbang Gabi University celebrates it on the December evening before the traditional novena. It began with a small group celebration in the chapel of the Jesuit residence, explained Evelyn I. Rodriguez, USF. Associate Professor of Sociology. It is now held at St. Ignatius Church with guests from the community.
Simbang Gabi Mass — Holy Apostles Catholic Church & Preschool
Asked why such celebrations are important, Ms. Rodriguez told America that Simbang Gabi “really successfully bridges the generation gap” and “connects Filipinos to their roots and their religion.”
Like most immigrant groups, Filipinos have tight-knit communities. But Filipino parents are often encouraged not to teach their children Tagalog or other local dialects in order to facilitate their assimilation. Although some first- and second-generation children belong to the Filipino community, students are often removed from this cultural enclave until they reach college. Learning more about Filipino culture means learning more about the country’s Catholic identity. Simbang Gabi is a way to honor their heritage and share the richness of Filipino heritage with their new community.
Whether at home or abroad, the days leading up to Christmas are a very sacred time for Filipinos. They celebrate their days with each other by going to Simbang Gabi. However, Simbang Gabi also speaks to the centrality of Christmas in the Filipino imagination. From the days when Spanish rulers offered rest to workers during the Simbang Gabi festival to the country’s volatile presidency today, the story of a savior born in a poor corner of a corrupt world continues to inspire Filipinos.
Nine Churches For Nine Simbang Gabi Mornings
The Jesuits have asked for new evidence against the Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik and proposed a timeline for his case to end the scandal.
Pope Francis said he wrote a letter of resignation in 2013, his first year in office, to be used if he became physically or mentally incapacitated and unable to fulfill the duties of the papacy.
Frank Pavone, head of Priests for Life, was honored at the Vatican for his social media posts and disobedience to his bishop. Mass”) is a nine-day series of devotional masses attended by Filipino Catholics in anticipation of Christmas. It is known as Misa de Aguinaldo in Puerto Rico at nine o’clock in the morning.
Pope Praises Faith Of Filipinos At Simbang Gabi Mass
In the Philippines, Simbang Gabi is held daily from 16 to 24 December and at various times from 3 am to 5 am local time.
On the last day of Simbang Gabi, which is Christmas Eve, the service is called Misa de Gallo (rooster mass in Spanish) instead. It has an important role in Philippine culture.
Simbang gabi originated in the early days of Spanish rule in the Philippines as a practical compromise for farmers who started work before sunrise to avoid the midday heat of the fields. It was started in 1669. Priests began saying early morning mass instead of the evening novena common in the rest of the Hispanic world. This cherished Christmas tradition eventually became a distinctive feature and shared symbol of Philippine culture.
From ‘misa De Gallo’ To ‘simbang Gabi’
The Philippines is an agricultural country known for growing rice, coconuts and sugarcane. Many hot farmers (also known as sacadas, campesinos, and casamaques) worked all day with a midday break when the heat was at its peak. Farmers lost an hour due to unbearable temperatures and worked hard and planned their time because they were afraid of the local cargados who managed the land of the Spanish feudal lords or hacederos.
Between the planting and harvesting periods, forced labor on the natives is reduced. Those old enough to do manual labor were grouped under the tributo system, where they had to work for free on construction projects for the Spanish colonial government. Women also had a share in their vegetable gardens (tumna) and in the homes of the upper classes.
At the beginning of the Christmas season, it was customary to hold a novena in the evening, but the priests saw that people moved away despite the daily weariness. As a compromise, the clergy started saying mass early in the morning, while it was still dark, before the people started working in the fields.
In Photos: More Filipinos Flock To Churches For Simbang Gabi
During the Spanish and early American era, parishioners were mostly not allowed to offer anything but sacks of rice, fruit and vegetables, and fresh eggs. After the service, the church shares the harvest with the congregation.
After the shrine, Filipinos buy festive delicacies sold in the church garden and eat breakfast. Bibingka (rice cakes cooked top and bottom) and puto bambong (steamed purple rice cakes flavored with butter, shredded coconut and brown sugar) are popular, often accompanied by chocolate (hot chocolate made from local cacao) or salba (ginger tea).
Local delicacies are now available to parishioners in the church. The iconic puto bumbong, bibingka, suman and other rice pastries are made on site. Latik and yema are sweets sold to children, while uraro (arrowroot), barquillos, ligua de gato and otap (ladyfinger) biscuits are also available.
Simbang Gabi: A Brief Explanation Of The Filipino Christmas Tradition
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