Simbang Gabi is a long-treasured Catholic tradition in the Philippines, with liturgical relation to the Advent Season.  It is also considered a time of preparation to the celebration of our Savior’s birth.  It is a series of Dawn Masses, serving as novena to the Blessed Mother.  As such, it starts on the 16th of December and runs until Christmas Eve. Traditionally in the Philippines, the Simbang Gabi Masses are celebrated in the very early hours (as early as 4 AM or 5 AM) to allow the farmers and the fishermen to attend the Mass before they set out to the fields or to the sea. Through the years, scheduling variations have been made, especially when the tradition was carried over here in the United States.