News about Pope Francis officiating at the mass for simbang gabi in St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City on December 15 was met with joy and excitement by Filipinos at home and abroad. While the celebration of simbang gabi is not new to St. Peter’s, it is the first time that this Filipino Christmas tradition will be presided by a pope.

The global migration of Filipinos is not only about the search for better opportunities.  Migration has also brought bits and pieces of the Philippines to countries and territories where Filipinos have pitched their tents. Among these are religious traditions and practices that Filipinos have transported to their new promised lands. In celebrating simbang gabi (evening mass), also known as misa de gallo (rooster’s mass, referencing the rooster’s crow at the break of dawn, hence it also translates to dawn mass), overseas Filipinos join those at home in preparing for Christmas. In the process, overseas Filipinos also get to introduce this beloved Filipino tradition wherever they are.  

Simbang gabi is traditionally celebrated from December 16 to 24, with dawn masses at 4:00 AM.  In cities and urban areas in the Philippines – and in many countries – the nine-day masses are usually celebrated in the evenings, at 8:00 PM, from December 15 and concluding on December 23.  Thus, from December 15 or 16, Filipino Catholics throughout the world, will gather in churches in prayer to prepare for Christmas, to thank God for blessings received, or to request for a cherished favor.  And in sharing this nine-day celebration, Filipinos are poignantly reminded of the enduring ties that bind them across time and space.