9 Mornings

9 Mornings or "Simbang Gabi" brings significance to our lives. It is a Filipino Christmas tradition. It is a series of nine(9) dawn masses. In our province, the ringing of the church bells and the sounds of Christmas songs fills all over the town that starts at 3 in the morning so as to awake people and be ready for the 4 a.m. mass. It begins on December 16 and ends on midnight of December 24, which culminates in a midnight mass. It was introduced by Spanish friars, simbang gabi or misa de gallo was started to allow the farmers to hear mass before going to the fields. After the mass , traditional delicacies await church goer. The delicious bibingka, suman, biko puto bumbong are sold outside the church. Some people who attended straight simbang gabi says that all their prayers and wishes were granted. They believes that completing the dawn masses will make a wish come true. To the believers and religious person, old and young finds time to attend dawn masses. Many make their sacrifice to rise early not only to have their wishes come true but to follow a tradition. This Christmas is not complete with out attending simbang gabi. It also brings us a double celebration in our lives as a couple because the start of simbang is also the 35th birthday of Noel and the 8th year Anniversary of our marriage. We are truly grateful that we experience a wonderful lives together with Keisha inspite of all the problems that comes our way. Hoping that we will last longer and live a meaningful life ahead of us. And hoping too, that for the first time we could attend the first simbang gabi. Merry Christmas!!!!