I found a nice mid-sized community church just a mere five minute-drive from the house. Paolo and I went to church there two weeks ago, and they announced that the Dawn Mass would start on December 16, at 4:30 am.
Simbang Gabi or Misa de Gallo evokes a nostalgic Christmassy feeling to me because I used to complete the whole 9-day novena mass until Christmas every year when I was still but a young child. Legend has it that if you complete the nine days, your wish would come true. (Of course as a young teenager, I often wished for my crush to finally have the nerve to come up to me and write me a love letter.) If we were lucky, there would be puto bungbong and bibingka waiting for us after the mass. Plus the lanky boys who would shyly walk with us home.
On the eve of the 25th, the novena masses would be capped by a Christmas Midnight Mass, and we would be fully dressed in our new-bought garbs. Naku, how we would all feel so beautiful. Then the family would just walk together to our house, and share the Noche Buena, before we could finally dip our hands on the gifts under the Christmas tree.
That’s why attending the Misa de Gallo has a soft spot in my heart.
Anyway, when I heard this announcement about the Dawn Mass, there’s some voice that urged me to go and attend again this time. I blurted this out to Paolo and he also agreed to go with me. I love my son/new-BFF-sorry-for-replacing you-Issa.
Tick tock. Less than five hours from now, I’ll be off to church.
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