Christmas in the Philippines

The Philippines is the only Asian country where Christians predominate. Majority of its people are Roman Catholic. Christmas, therefore, is an extremely important and revered holiday for most Filipinos. It is a time for family, for sharing, for giving, and a time for food, fun, and friendship.

Church bells resound to call the faithful to Simbang Gabi. The alarm clock is buzzing just as you have drifted merrily to sleep, the clock is telling you to get up as you have to start your day. But its 3 in the morning, and the sweet allure of your bed and the enchanting feel of your pillows are simply hard to resist. But then your senses start drumming up fast and the main reason why you had to wake up early had also started ringing in your mind: Simbang Gabi or Misa de Gallo. While trying at best to stay awake amid the cool breeze and trying to listen to the Mass itself as it unfolds at so early in the morning, Simbang Gabi has become so much a part of our lives as it has been part of the Christian Family tradition.

In some provinces, brass bands play traditional Christmas music and parish priests would go as far as knocking on the doors of every home. After the nine-day Simbang Gabi, follows the Misa de Gallo (Mass of the Rooster). This is held midnight of December 24 to welcome the birth of the Savior. In some churches, the panunuluyan, depicting Mary and Joseph's efforts to find a suitable birthplace, is reenacted and the baby Jesus first makes his appearance in the manger of the Belen, the Nativity Scene.

Ofcourse simbang gabi is not complete without the unmistakable flavor of Christmas pinoy-style - Puto Bumbong and Bibingka are two native holiday treats that are bound to the pre-drawn mass. Even well-dressed matrons buy them dripping with melted butter and sprinkled with niyog (coconut) to get them going for the nine dawn Masses. The number of street stalls serving these delicacies has dwindled through the years, as has the number of church-goers during the Simbang Gabi.