December 22, 2011

The carol of the winds

Banda Zapat performing in front of the Ateneo Church of the Gesu on the first day of Simbanggabi
Simbang Gabi (night mass) or Misa de Gallo (Spanish, which literally translates to rooster's mass and means dawn mass), is a traditional novena of masses before Christmas that many Filipino Catholics practice. Among Catholics, a novena is a nine-day devotion to obtain special graces. Simbang Gabi at the Ateneo Church of the Gesù started on December 15 with a performance of Filipino and foreign Christmas carols by the Banda Zabat brass band a few hours before the evening mass. Banda Zapat comes from Gapan City in the province of Nueva Ecija, 92 kilometers away.

4 comments:

Dina said...

It sounds like a nice tradition.
Misa de Gallo is a fitting name.

alex said...

nice stream of lights.

Oakland Daily Photo said...

The sparkling night lights surely draw attention and more participants in the night mass. Lovely sight.

George said...

You've captured beautiful strings of light. The pre-Mass concert sounds as if it would be very good.