Misa de Gallo is the start of the Christmas season in the Philippines, blending Christian tradition with the harvest thanksgiving of the ancient Filipinos. As the first cockcrows are heard at dawn on Dec. 16, bells of the Roman Catholic churches ring, brass bands parade through towns, and skyrockets burst—all to awaken people for the Misa de Gallo (Cock’s Mass in English and Simbang Gabi in Tagalog) each morning of the festival. On Dec. 24 there is a midnight mass, after which people congregate in food stalls or go home for traditional breakfasts of rice cakes and ginger tea. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary