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Christmas Mass in the Philippines
Nine Days Before Christmas
or Simbang Gabi

Simbang Gabi x 9

The nine day Christmas Mass Novena in the Philippines begins on December 16. The early morning novena Mass, happens all over the country. As early as 4am in the morning many Catholic churches are pack with worshippers in attendance greatly exceeding that of Sundays.

Originally celebrated around midnight but under circumstances like the Martial Law, Christmas Mass was moved around before sunrise or just after sunset. Still the Christmas name to call it is always “Simbang Gabi.” The nine day Christmas Mass novena ends on the Christmas Eve, the 24th of December.

Rain or shine they come. In provinces, from high mountains and valleys they hike. Rivers and streams they cross. If not by a moonlight or star glows by torches or flashlights, they come around devotedly like the nine planets dutifully going the around the sun without fail.

In anticipation for the coming Christmas, people from all walks of life - singles, couples, and families, everyone, young and old - come with devotion to these Novena Christmas Masses. Even more so, sweethearts attending these nine Masses get stricken with love potion number nine.

Christmas Mass

The priests are best on their Christmas Mass homilies on this holiday season. Because many wants to go to heaven but few wants to go to church much less do the right thing. So this is a time for reawakening. And people yearn for the message of Christmas. For in the midst of hardships and poverty, the Gospel offers knowledge and counsels enabling them to bear their misfortunes with wisdom.

In Holy Communion the people find the summit of their faith. And as the psalm says: “in the sight of the angels, I will sing praises to you, O God” in worship and adoration, the bible teaches there is the company of the nine choirs of angels.

Even in the military camps, just as a private stays busy polishing his 9mm gun while a general enjoys his 9-hole golf, come nine Christmas Mass twilights, dropping their firearms and at the military chapel they troop together - sitting, kneeling, praying, standing and singing next to each other, and ears drawn towards the high caliber shots of wisdom from the pulpit - all through the nine-day Christmas Mass.

Though for some, it’s another way of celebrating Christmas the way they never did before - going to church, that is.

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That’s how in the Philippines, the tough military men conceals a Christian heart, and come revolution time, they ignore a tyrant ruler, put down their guns and accept rosary from the praying nuns. And the world has finally seen a peaceful send-off to a dictator by a helicopter to cloud nine to face the music. To alter a course of history for the better is what they believe it does by the novena Christmas Mass on the merriest season of the year.

Nine Christmas Masses

But some people too, can’t help but be like the numbers; spin over the number nine, and they are lucky enough to complete 6. Some has taken the square root of 9 and ended up completing 3 and that makes them happy enough.

Yet others after nine-to-five work abandoned the faith but nevertheless join in the fun. Because beyond the walls of the church, smoke rises over the charcoal: puto-bumbong and bibingka as steam oozes out from a teakettle. And after singing all the Christmas carols, the parishioners emerge from the midnight Mass, triumphant but many yearning for justice - to bite on food.

No matter who they are, or where they come from, the Christmas Mass novena makes everyone happy and the towns, cities and barrios they live in, vibrant with festive activities, lights and parols, and voracious appetites.

For most, the motivation to finish the novena without missing a day is so complete, knowing that they only have one life to live. Because only cats have nine lives.

December 25 Christmas Mass

Unbelievable but true, for the rest of the world, nine is raised to the power of zero, and that makes it one. Celebrate they do - Midnight Christmas Mass on the 24th of December. Or the morning of the day of the midnight after - just one day!

The Nine Day Novena Christmas Masses is now spreading the world over in communities where Filipinos live. After all, the Spanish Friars started this tradition as a prayer-petition that the Philippines may keep the faith.

This is day. Christ is born of the Blessed Virgin Mary who carried him in her womb for nine months. Celebrate it! They do - in the Philippines - by “Simbang Gabi.”

by Knoell Villalon who loves taking Philippine Photos

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Christmas Mass


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