Christmas in the Philippines is known to be one of the most celebrated and biggest holidays. As early as  September, Christmas carols are heard over the radios, in private homes, shopping malls and other public places. This usually lasts until the Feast of the Epiphany in early January. The nine-day dawn masses called Missa Lukag or Missa de Gallo (Rooster’s Mass) start on December 16 and culminate on Christmas Eve.

I have vivid memories about these dawn masses as a child. The church bell started tolling at three o’clock in the morning as a sign for parishioners to get ready to go to church. The mass started at approximately four o’clock. I remember singing all the mass songs in Latin and they were very long. Our house is situated very close to the Catholic Church and we usually hear the renditions of the songs. Being the naughty kid that I was, I hesitated to wake up very early and only started dressing up when the priest introduced the song, Gloria in Excelsis Deo. I arrived in church in time for the reading of the gospel. The songs were accompanied on a reed or pump organ whose volume was
determined by pedaling the pressure or suction bellows slower or faster. Another common instrument to accompany the festive Latin songs was the tambourine. The pump organ has been replaced by electronic organ and guitar in many churches in Ilocos Norte. Moreover, most of the songs are now sung in Ilocano, Filipino, and English depending on what languages the mass is officiated.

Another interesting innovation that has been introduced by the churches is the playing of Christmas carols magnified through a loudspeaker, emanating from the church roof in place of the church bells slowly tolling continuously to prepare parishioners to get ready. The bells are only rung few minutes before the start of the mass. Both the Philippine Independent Church—otherwise known as the Iglesia Filipina Independiente or Aglipayan Church—and the Catholic Church are very close to our residence. You can just imagine the culture shock that I experienced when I visited my hometown after having been away for some time. The two churches were playing two different songs in full blast! Indeed, there was no reason to be late for the mass.

Caroling from house to house is still a common practice. When I was child, we usually received goodies such as candies and native rice delicacy called tupig. Nowadays, children usually expect money. The young and old enjoy this experience, either as carolers or simply listeners.

The texts above are from my publication: “Aweng ti Kailokuan: The Musical Heritage of the Ilocanos, Book One” and the video below features excerpts from Missa Lukag in Ilocano, also known as Missa de Gallo in Spanish or Rooster’s Mass in English, along with scenes of traditional caroling that remain popular in the Philippines. One of the fascinating cultural practices, particularly in rural areas, is the early morning crowing of roosters. This may explain why the dawn masses leading up to Christmas are called Missa de Gallo or Rooster’s Mass—a tradition deeply tied to the sounds of the early morning.