advent calendars

In the past few years, the popularity of the Advent calendar has grown enormously, not just for children either. Alcoholic and various edible calendars now seem to be everywhere we shop. 

Those with deeper pockets can get ones with expensive toiletries and even jewelry. Children’s advent calendars have also seen a huge amount of variation and are often as hotly in demand as Christmas presents themselves. 

The first Lego Advent Calendar is the perfect example. 

But most people think of Advent calendars as printed versions, showing religious or wintery scenes. Each has 24 windows - you open, one each day, on the run up to Christmas. Behind each window is an illustration. 

holiday rituals

Sunday, December 15 was the third Sunday of Advent this holiday season. It also marked the beginning of the dawn masses nine days before Christmas. In our barrios back home this is a big family tradition for many of its practitioners. 

Simbang Gabi, Misa de Aguinaldo, and Misa de Gallo are commonly interchanged to refer to these nine masses. Even when history shows that this was not originally so. 

Day 1 of Misa de Aguinaldo Novena, San Sbastian Cathedral, Bacolod City
- image by Andrew Altarejos

The novena masses held at dawn from December 15 to 24 are properly called Misas de Aguinaldo. They originated in Spain where “Aguinaldo” means a gift given during the Christmas season. 

Misa de Aguinaldo should not be confused with Misa de Gallo (Rooster’s Mass) which in Spain referred to Mass on Christmas Eve.