Simbang Gabi (Christmas Dawn Masses) 2026

Simbang Gabi (also Misa de Gallo) is a nine-day novena of pre-dawn Masses from December 16 to 24 — one of the most beloved Filipino Christmas traditions. Folk belief holds that completing all nine consecutive Masses earns a special wish or blessing.

Masses begin around 4–5 a.m., a practice dating to the Spanish colonial era so farmers and fisherfolk could worship before the day's work. Churches and homes glow with the parol (star lantern), the season's signature symbol, and choirs fill the dark early hours.

Stalls outside the churches sell warm native treats: bibingka (clay-oven rice cake topped with salted egg and cheese), puto bumbong (purple glutinous rice steamed in bamboo), and salabat (ginger tea) or tsokolate to ward off the morning chill.

The novena culminates on the night of December 24 with the final Misa de Gallo / Christmas Eve Mass, after which families gather for Noche Buena, the traditional midnight feast. Completing the full nine days is a point of quiet pride.