Simbang Gabi (Evening/Night Holy Mass)

What is Simbang Gabi?

Literally means “evening or night Mass.” As a devotional practice, it refers to the Philippine Catholic tradition of the novena, a series of nine evening Masses usually celebrated during Advent from Dec. 15-23, in preparation for Christmas Day. 

 Simbang Gabi originated from the Missa Aurea (golden Mass or angel’s Mass) practiced by the Roman Catholic Church. This tradition was introduced by the Spanish friars at the start of the Catholic evangelization of the Philippine islands. In 1587, Friar Diego de Soria petitioned Pope Sixtus V for permission to have the Masses outdoors because the churches were too small to accommodate the crowds. The request was granted, and in the 17th century, the Simbang Gabi, or Misa de Gallo or Misa de Aguinaldo as it is variously referred to by the Catholic populace in the Philippines, became a permanent practice among Philippine Catholics. Also included in the indult granted by the pope was permission during the Mass to sing the Gloria and to wear white vestments to emphasize the joyful anticipation of the coming of the Infant Savior in Bethlehem.

How is Simbang Gabi celebrated?

Originally, and the way it is still celebrated in most places in the Philippines, the Simbang Gabi Masses were held in the early hours of the morning at 4 a.m. or 5 a.m., when roosters crowed to announce the dawning of a new day, thus the name Misa de Gallo. This time of the day was chosen because most of the Filipino families were farmers and fishermen who either began or ended their day at daybreak. Farmers began working in their fields early to avoid the intense heat, while the fishermen who spent all night at sea came home in the early morning to sell their catch. At the first sign of dawn, local bands would start playing traditional Christmas carols around the town, and church bells would ring to summon everyone to the Simbang Gabi. Families walked to Mass passing by homes with flickering candles inside parols (star-shaped lanterns fashioned out of bamboo and colored paper to form a three-dimensional star in which a light bulb or candle is placed so it may glow as a symbol of the Christmas star of Bethlehem: “And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was” Matthew 2:9b). Main features of the Mass were hymns and culturally expressive rituals and symbols, with star-shaped parols carried in procession and prominently displayed during Mass. After Mass, families and friends enjoyed the native delicacies spread out on the grounds around the church, strengthening social and spiritual ties within the community.

Simbang Gabi at St. Lambert Parish in Skokie follows the over all schedule for Simbang Gabi of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Article Source:  stjv.org/simbang-gabi/ 
Images, Courtesy of V. Melecio and FFOS