'Simbang Gabi': A cherished Christmas tradition

Church bells will ring at dawn starting Friday until Christmas Day, calling the Catholic faithful to the “Simbang Gabi,” the nine-day dawn masses held in honor of the Virgin Mary.

The pealing of the bells is said to symbolize a message of hope in God and of hope for peace on earth.

The votive masses are held not only in the Philippines but in other countries where there are Filipino communities.

For years now, some parishes have also been holding anticipated “Simbang Gabi” masses at around 8 or 9 in the evening before the dawn masses to accommodate the needs of the faithful on different work schedules.

The masses end on Dec. 24, Christmas Eve, with the “Misa de Gallo” (rooster’s mass) at midnight.

According to Fr. Noel V. Osial, SDB, rector of the Don Bosco Provincial House in Makati City, Filipinos particularly cherish the “Simbang Gabi” tradition. “We find it not only on Philippine soil but everywhere in the world where there are Filipino Catholics who anticipate every year the nine days of preparation for the Birth of Jesus Christ,” Osial said.

For the members of the clergy, “Simbang Gabi” is always an opportunity for catechizing the faithful, Osial said.

“But whether the masses are celebrated early in the morning or at night, whether in the Philippines or elsewhere in the world, the reason for celebrating remains the same – we prepare for the Birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.”

In attending the “Misa de Aguinaldo” (gift mass), churchgoers offer the gift of sacrifice of waking up before the break of dawn for nine consecutive days to attend the dawn masses in thanksgiving, as a form of worship, or for a standing petition, said a Church official.

Not a few believe that completing the nine-day masses would mean the granting of a particular favor.

The Filipinos’ Simbang Gabi dates back to 1565, when Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi celebrated the first Feast of the Nativity.

The practice originated in Mexico when in 1587, Fray Diego de Soria, prior of the Convent of San Agustin Acolman, asked permission from the Pope to hold Christmas masses for the farmers who wake up very early to work.

During the 16th century, Pope Sixtus V decreed that the dawn masses be held in the Philippines every 16th of December.

After the mass, there is another old custom: the partaking of native delicacies sold in stalls outside the church like rice cakes (bibingka), puto bungbong, and suman taken with ginger tea (salabat), coffee or hot chocolate.

To preserve the solemnity of Simbang Gabi, the Catholic Archdiocese of Manila (RCAM) released a circular last October 12 signed by Archbishop Emeritus Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales, reiterating the implementation within the archdiocese of the guidelines issued the previous year.

By CHRISTINA I. HERMOSO
mb.com.ph

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Manila's Churches

Manila is a city of churches. China has her walls, India her pagodas, her carved shrines and gilded images, but the distinguishing feature of Manila is her churches. She alone, of all the cities in the East, is rich in sanctuaries and symbols of the faith of the civilized world.

Most of the churches now standing are modern in construction, but the restoration were in strict keeping with the originals.

The austerity of the Augustinian seems to hang about the somber shadows of the old church, and the sincerity of life of the great order finds fitting expression in the building of genuine stone with no plaster or make-believe in its construction.

The higher culture of the Jesuit is nobly expressed in the most beautiful interior of all the churches of the Philippines, comparing wel with the carved-wood interiors of Belgian churches. The Gothic of old Sto. Domingo are the purest type of that most striking of all forms of churh architecture.

The oldest church in Manila stands at the intersection of General Luna and Calle Real in Instramuros. The strength of the walls is attested by the fact that it has withstood all the storms and earthquakes which have ruined so many fine buildings through centuries.

The church of the Recollect Order at the south end of Calle Cabildo is probably the next in age, the present buildings having been completed early in the seventeenth century.

The church of the Franciscans is located on Calles Solana and San Francisco. Its architecture is of the Tuscan form, so with all churches of the Franciscan Order. Across the court of the Third Order, with two fine towers and a rare altar service.

Three churches are especially worthy of attention. Of these the Cathedral takes precedence and is the best known of all the shrines of the city. Like most of the other large buildings, the present structure is the successor of three or four predecessor which were destroyed by earthquakes.

The bijou of Intramuros is the Jesuit Church on Calle Arzobispo. It is thouroughly modern in design and execution, and its exterior is destitute of comeliness; but the interior leaves nothing to ask in ravishing beauty of decoration.

One of the most impressive and interesting of all the Manila churches is old Sto. Domingo The exterior, with its embattled towers and climbing buttresses, is stately and massive. The view from the Ayuntamiento is striking, and the old Gothic windows of the semicircular apse have strong ecclesiastical flavor.

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Bilaans of Southern Cotabato

Although they belong to the same ethnic group as the Manobos and Tagabili they differ from them not only in the legend creature, but also in language and the design of their abaca clothes. The father has the last word in the family and polygamy among the affluent is quite prevalent. A man can have as many wives as he can afford provided he pays the Sungog-Dowry to the father of the girl. A man is not allowed to marry another until the first wife borne him a child. The first wife is the favorite and she allots the work to others. close bloog relationship forbids marriage.

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A Safari

"Safari" spells "adventure" to most Americans, so the mere announcement of a safari should get alert attention at once. Summer camps and conferences are particularly good places to carry out a safari since an out-of-doors setting is desirable.

Safari means an expedition. The word was brought to Africa by Arab slave traders, and it is now widely used. Detailed safari plans will vary according to the number and average age of your guests, so make your own adaptations of the suggestions that follow.

Of course, your group would not go on a safari like the one here outlined if they were in Africa. This is an Americanized version. However, every activity is based on a custom or tradition of Africa, so through participation much about Africa will be learned.

In many African households men are responsible for supplying the meat and beveraged; the women, the vegetables and fruits from their garderns. Therefore, why not announce this division of responsibility for the food you will have.

If you see individual invitations, you may tie each one to an ear of red corn, an impressive summons in some parts of Africa. Or you can make paper ears of corn, marking the grains with ink and writing your invitation on the back. You may like these words:

A tramp through a jungle where animals roam
And rivers in torrents make rainbows in foam,
That's a safari!
Adventures aplenty with games and a stunt,
And food to revive at the end of a hunt,
That's our safari!
Don't miss it!

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