Simbang Gabi

Simbang Gabi is a novena of nine Masses said before dawn from 16 to 24 December, introduced by Spanish friars so that farmers could hear Mass before going out to the fields, and kept since - the Philippines is one of the few places where the practice survives at this scale. Churches fill in the dark from around four in the morning, with bells and, in some towns, a band going through the streets to wake people. Popular belief holds that completing all nine earns the fulfilment of a wish, which drives attendance considerably. The part everyone remembers is what happens outside afterwards: stalls set up around the church selling bibingka, a rice cake baked between coals on banana leaf and topped with salted egg and cheese, and puto bumbong, purple sticky rice steamed in bamboo tubes and served with coconut and sugar, eaten hot in the cold hour before sunrise. An evening anticipated Mass is now common in cities.

What you actually see

• The dawn Masses - churches full before sunrise for nine days.
• The bibingka stalls - rice cakes baked over coals outside.
• The puto bumbong - purple rice steamed in bamboo tubes.
• The dark streets - the walk to church before first light.

When to go

16 to 24 December, arriving before four in the morning for a seat at a popular church. Many parishes also offer an anticipated evening Mass the night before.

Honest expectations

It is a religious observance, not a spectacle - attend as a participant or stand quietly at the back. Popular churches fill well before the Mass begins. The food stalls are the informal part, and they are the reason many people come.

Nearby

Every parish holds it; the best-known settings are Intramuros, Baclaran, Quiapo and the old provincial churches.