Christmas Countdown

Please Come Home for Christmas. - Week 1 special

The word Christmas was originated as a contraction of "Christ's mass". It is derived from the Middle-English Christemasse and Old-English Cristes Maesse, a phrase first recorded in 1038. Compounded from Old-English derivatives of the Greek Christos and then Latin Missa. In early Greek versions of the New Testament, the letter X(Chi), is the first letter of Christ. Since the Mid-16th century X, or the similar Roman letter X, has been used as an abbreviation for Christ. Hence, Xmas is often used as an abbreviation for Christmas.

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Misa De Gallo. Traditionally, Christmas day in the Philippines is ushered in by the nine-day dawn masses that start on December 16. Known as the Misa De Gallo (Rooster's Mass) in the traditional Spanish and in Filipino as Simbang Gabi, or "Night Mass", this novena of Masses is the most important Filipino Christmas tradition.

These nine dawn Masses are also considered as a novena by the Catholic and Aglipayan faithfuls. This refers to the Roman Catholic and Aglipayan practice of performing nine days of private or public devotion to obtain special graces.

In some parishes, the Simbang Gabi begins as early as four o'clock in the morning. Going to mass this early for nine consecutive days is meant to show the church goer's devotion and faith as well as heighten anticipation of the Nativity of Jesus. In traditional Filipino belief, however completing the novena is also supposed to mean that God would grant the Devotee's special wish or a favour.

After hearing Mass, Filipino families partake of traditional Philippine Christmastime delicacies, either during breakfast at home, or immediately outside the church, where they are sold. Vendors offer a wealth of native delicacies, including Bibingka (rice flour and egg based cake, cooked using coals on top of and under the pastry), puto bumbong (a purple sticky rice delicacy which is steamed in bamboo tubes, with brown sugar and shredded dried coconut meat served as condiments) salabat (hot ginger tea) and tsokolate (thick Spanish cocoa).