The longest and most celebrated holiday in the Philippines is Christmas. This December 16th marks the beginning of the festivities with the start of a daily pre-dawn Mass, called Simbang Gabi or Misas de Aguinaldo (Gift Masses), and culminate in the Misa de Gallo on Christmas eve. The Misas de Aguinaldo originated in Mexico and was held at four o’clock in the morning to accommodate the farmers who had to be in the fields by dawn during harvest season.
In the Philippines this tradition continues to the present day. At 3 o’ clock in the morning, the church bells will ring to summon the people to the service. In some rural areas a band might even play a medley of Christmas tunes to awaken the town’s people. After the lively service, churchgoers will filter out into the churchyard. In the early morning light they will stop by food stalls made of nipa that line the perimeter of the church.
Like homes all over the Philippines at Christmastime, they are decorated with parols fashioned from bamboo sticks and cellophane. These lanterns represent the star of Bethlehem, the guiding light that led the three wise men to the infant Child. This emblem of Philippine Christmas embodies the spirit of hospitality that prevails during the season.
The early risers will have warm bibingka a rice cake made from rice flour topped with carabao cheese and grated coconut, a favorite breakfast treat. Puto bumbong is purple glutinous rice cakes steamed in bamboo cylinders and sprinkled with grated coconut and brown sugar and is offered along with invigorating cups of salabat a ginger tea. The festive air will continue until Christmas eve…
There’s nothing like Christmas in the Philippines…
