The Importance of Traditions

By Camelia Rodriguez for AIA, February 2007

The Simbang Gabi mass at the St. Priscilla Church in Chicago.

One of the great things about America is the diversity of people and cultures. As Americans, we are all able to enjoy the freedom to celebrate the traditions of our ancestors from the countries our families originally hail from. I am a first-generation Filipina-American. My parents immigrated to America from the Philippines in the 1980s. As a young girl, I was aware of my Filipino heritage. My parents made certain that I knew exactly where I came from.

As with many Asians living in the U.S., my parents emphasized the importance of celebrating Filipino holidays and taking part in different Filipino traditions. One of these traditions celebrated every December by Filipinos is called Simbang Gabi. When translated into English, "Simbang Gabi" literally means "Midnight Mass". In the Philippines, the custom of Simbang Gabi lasts for nine days; usually from December 16 to December 24. For each of these nine days, Filipinos attend mass at 5 in the morning as a sign of their devotion to God and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Simbang Gabi occurs in the Advent season when Catholics prepare for the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25.

Following the mass, Filipinos would then purchase food sold by vendors stationed outside of their church. Typical food that vendors sell after mass are puto bumbong (a purple colored rice pastry, seasoned with grated coconut and brown sugar), tsokolate (a hot cocoa drink), bibingka (flour and egg cakes), and salabat (ginger tea).

A member of the Simbang Gabi committee wearing a kimona, an embroidered formal garment of the Philippines.

For the past eleven years, the St. Priscilla Church in Chicago (St. Priscilla), along with the other Chicago Cathilics prishes, has celebrated Simbang Gabi a little differently from the Filipinos in the Philippines. The chuch members do not attend the mass at 5 in the morning. Instead, they celebrate the mass at either 6 or 7 in the evening, and following the mass is a reception in which different Filipino delicacies are served. Waking up at the crack of dawn is just not possible or even desirable for most people here in the United States. University of Illinois freshman Melorie Masacupan, 18, has attended the mass and feels that celebrating Simbang Gabi is very important. She left her hometown of Chicago to attend the university in Urbana but does not forget her roots. She is still strongly tied to her family and friends back home. "College life has thrown a lot of new experiences towards me, but coming home to celebrate Simbang Gabi is almost like a comfort. It always reminds me of where I come from," she says.

Melorie expresses that she feels it is more difficult these days to stay connected to one's roots. But the difficulty motivates her even more to hold onto the traditions and values her family has passed on to her. "I think that our attending one night of true spiritual preparation...still shows that we're putting in the effort to show what we believe in, what we stand for, and what we came from," says Melorie. Many Filipino families attend Simbang Gabi mass together as a way to bond and, for parents, as a way to show and teach their children about one of their many traditions.

A parol is an ornamental star-like Christmas lantern from the Philippines.

Lane Technical High School sophomore Karl Michael Rodriguez, 15, another student at the mass, believes that Simbang Gabi is an important time for families. "It [Simbang Gabi] is one of the essential times that I can spend happily with family and friends during the Christmas season."

Karl finds the religious aspect of Simbang Gabi to be just as important, saying that the celebration of Simbang Gabi "helps [him] in a religious sense because it is a reminder of the true meaning that [people] celebrate Christmas amid the materialistic things that usuallly accompany the holiday." He believes that celebrating Simbang Gabi has helped him to learn what it truly means to be a Filipino. Karl points out that a lot of Asian teens around his age are allowing American culture to overshadow their own ethnic culture and this causes them to deny or even reject the traditions and values of their ancestors.

Agreeing with Karl, Melorie also expresses that she wishes more Filipino Americans will take interest in their culture so as to ensure that the tradition of Simbang Gabi will continue to be celebrated for many generations to come.

L-R: High school sophomore Karl Michael Rodriguez, college freshman Melorie Masacupan and sophomore Camelia Rodriguez.

I am very proud to be an American and I am thankful for the privileged life I am able to live because of my parents' decision to immigrate to this country. I am also proud to be a Filipina, and I urge other Asian Americans to learn about the different traditions of their ancestors. It would be a shame for the many great celebrations of a wide variety of cultures to be forgotten simply because people didn't feel it was important enough to learn about and continue celebrating them. I encourage other Americans of Asian descent to take pride in their culture because it is a part of you; it is what makes you you.

In this day and age, when many people are ridiculed or judged because of their ethnic make-up, I feel it is important for individuals to stand up to these "bullies" and silence them by showing the pride they have in their cultures. Actions speak louder than words and by continuing the cultural traditions our ancestors have celebrated for many years, we can all make a deafening statement.

Camelia Rodriguez is a second-year journalism major from DePaul University at Chicago. She is also double-minoring in English and Asian American Studies.