Misa de Gallo

Hopefully I can complete it this year. I am attending the anticipated misa de gallo in the church of Riverbanks Mall. It's very different now. I miss the puto bumbong right after mass that my family loved to buy after the mass. It smelled delicious in the chilly air of December. There's nothing of that sort nowadays. Anticipated misa de gallo is the trend. No more of that challenge to get up early in the morning. But this makes more sense to me because my family usually attends the Christmas eve mass. Our priest shared with us the origin of Misa de Gallo. This is a very Filipino tradition. A few centuries back, harvest season was November. By the second week of December, the farmers would ready their fields for the second crop. They took advantage of the cold temperatures in December here because carabaos become lazy under the heat. So to make most use of the temperature, the farmers would wake up early. But there were no alarm clocks back then. They used rooster, in Spanish gallo, who crowed when they see light, as their alarm clock. They would wake at the break of dawn and gather together to pray for a good second harvest and to thank God for the previous harvest. A priest saw the gathering and suggested that they hold mass instead of just prayers. That's how it all started.

Hopefully I can complete it this year. I am attending the anticipated misa de gallo in the church of Riverbanks Mall. It's very different now. I miss the puto bumbong right after mass that my family loved to buy after the mass. It smelled delicious in the chilly air of December. There's nothing of that sort nowadays. Anticipated misa de gallo is the trend. No more of that challenge to get up early in the morning. But this makes more sense to me because my family usually attends the Christmas eve mass. Our priest shared with us the origin of Misa de Gallo. This is a very Filipino tradition. A few centuries back, harvest season was November. By the second week of December, the farmers would ready their fields for the second crop. They took advantage of the cold temperatures in December here because carabaos become lazy under the heat. So to make most use of the temperature, the farmers would wake up early. But there were no alarm clocks back then. They used rooster, in Spanish gallo, who crowed when they see light, as their alarm clock. They would wake at the break of dawn and gather together to pray for a good second harvest and to thank God for the previous harvest. A priest saw the gathering and suggested that they hold mass instead of just prayers. That's how it all started.

I won't be able to attend the night mass in church but I will try to complete it by watching it through the TV. It is available in ABS-CBN channel 2 at 3.30AM to 4.30AM. Mum and I used to go to Misa de Gallo when my Uncle was alive but these days and due to my mum's gallbladder removal, we are thinking of just completing the 9 day mass by watching TV. Hmmmm.... Puto Bubong and bibingka, yes.. they are a welcoming aroma wen you go out of church plus no to mention the ginger ale. Those are what I like most when going out of church after each day... They are my rewards for coming with my Aunt when I was young. But not everyday, we also have lugaw and sotanghon in some days. I don't know about the wishes.. God hasn't given me my deepest wish yet.. Maybe I've been asking the wrong wishes. But I know grants our wishes in his ordained time when it is right for us. And He also gives what is right for us, maybe He has better plans. So.. for now, I wait and ask that hopefully I learn the lessons I need to learn from the experience He gives to me. Merry Christmas and God Bless...

It really seemed that it is already part of tradition that there would be bibingka and puto bumbong that will sell outside then people should buy it. I just realized that. I hope I could be able to complete it as well. Most of my wishes became true.

When i was still a teenager, I love to go to Misa De Gallo during December. But I haven't completed the nine straight mornings. I just want to go to church when my friends are going as well. Then after the mass, we'll eat bibingka and go straight to school. Those were the days of my Misa De Gallo experiences. But for now, I don't do it anymore.