Christmas Countdown: "Simbang Gabi"

December 16 marks the the first day of Simbang Gabi, a nine-day series of Masses in which devout Roman Catholics in the Philippines attend. Simbang Gabi (Tagalog for "Night Mass") is celebrated in anticipation of Christmas. The mass on December 24 is called Misa de Gallo (Spanish for "Mass of the Rooster").

Many people aim to complete the nine-day series of masses on the belief that doing so will result in the realization of a special wish. The challenge lies, however, on the time each mass starts - at around 4:30 to 5:00 in the morning. Waking up and dressing up for the mass is very daunting at these times.

As a result, the number of participants significantly decreases from the first day to the last day. Following are pictures of the Simbang Gabi proceedings at the Malolos Cathedral earlier today:

During the Simbang Gabi

After the Simbang Gabi