Predawn Masses signal start of RP Christmas

In most countries, Christmas is from the Eve of the Nativity till the Epiphany. In the Philippines, the Christmas season officially starts on December 16 to the Feast of the Three Kings that is now commemorated on the first Sunday of January. In Tagalog, it is known as simbang-gabi, (night Masses). But its original Spanish name is Misas de Aguinaldo, or Gift Masses. It is a custom that we got, not from Spain, but from Mexico, where it started in 1587. Fray Diego de Soria, friar of the Convent of San Agustin Acolma, had to petition the Pope for permission to hold Christmastide Masses outdoors because his church could not accommodate the multitude that wanted to attend the novena Masses that marked the start of Christmastide. The request was granted and when the custom was extended to the Philippines, the Masses had to be celebrated before dawn to accommodate the farmers who had to start harvesting their rice crop before the crack of dawn.

The pre-dawn Masses became two festivals in one – a nine-day devotion that culminated with the midnight Mass (Misa de Gallo) on Christmas and the Thanksgiving celebration of the farmers for their harvest. Today, Filipinos living in the cities attend the night Masses without even knowing why they are up at such an ungodly hour. The Spanish name for Christmas Eve is Noche Buena. Rizal wrote about it in the last chapter of Noli Me Tangere. He said, "The night of light and joy for so many children who in the warm bosom of the family celebrate the feast with the most tender memories, the feast that commemorates the first smile of love sent by heaven to the earth; the night in which all Christian families eat, drink, dance, sing, laugh, play, love, kiss; that night, which in cold countries is magical to childhood with the traditional Christmas tree, covered with lights, dolls, candies and tinsel which are gazed at by spellbound, large, round eyes where innocence is mirrored. . ."

Another Christmas custom, we got from Mexico is the posada (inn), known locally as panunuluyan. It is a folk ritual that commemorates St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary’s quest for an inn. It is ritualized locally in two ways – the statuary and the live version. In the first, St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary are portrayed with their images. In the second, a man and a woman portray the saintly couple. Usually, it is done to the accompaniment of Paul Lincke’s Glowworm. The innkeepers are depicted by homeowners who inform the Holy Couple that they are already filled to capacity. In the end, St. Joseph and the Virgin end up – not in a stable – but in the Church.

Our Christmas flower is the pointsetia. It is also part of our Mexican heritage. It was introduced here around 1870 and bore a truly Christmas name – pascua. According to an old Mexican legend, it originated when a poor boy went to the church to pay tribute to the Nativity Scene. He alone had no gift. So he got some branches from a bush to present as his gift. As soon as he cut the branch, the leaves turned red and subtended to flowers.

What is Christmas without these rituals and symbols?