As we approach the great feast of Christmas, it is good to remember traditions from other cultures, especially in these difficult times. We are blessed to live in a nation of so many nationalities and they remind us that our faith is not a case of 'one size fits all'; there is variety and an openness that we need to share.

In the Philippines and in Filipino communities across the world, people will gather for the Missa de Gallo or the 'Mass of the Rooster'. In The traditional farming and fishing communities of the islands, the rooster was so important as it called farmers to walk in the fields or greeted the fishers as they returned to shore. This series of masses are held in the novena leading up to Christmas at dawn. It started in 1587, when the crowds at Mass on the days before Christmas were overflowing from the church, so the prior of the San Agustin Acolman Convent, on the island of Luzon, asked the pope's permission to hold the services outdoors. The request was granted, and Simbang Gabi became a Filipino spiritual tradition of Mass on each of the nine days before Christmas.

As Christianity spread through the Philippines, it was good to see missionaries include the traditions and customs of the ancestors. At the first light of dawn, church bells rang, and a band played traditional Christmas carols throughout the town. Families would walk or ride their carabao (water buffalo) sleds to their local church. After Mass the celebration continued with a variety of delicacies served in the churchyard, such as bibingka (rice cakes), puto bumbong (sticky rice), roasted corn cobs, and ginger tea. As a pastor who worked with a wonderful expat Filipino community, I can witness to that tradition of table fellowship that deepens the sense of community and is, in these socially distanced days, sorely missed.

While it may not be practical to rise at dawn, even for an online celebration, the idea of marking these days of the Christmas Novena is so special—you can follow these days as part of the Advent Camino available from Don Bosco Publications. Simbang Gabi Masses always have Filipino touches. Parishes could have families process in with the traditional star lanterns fashioned of bamboo and paper, symbolizing that we are preparing our hearts and homes to welcome and receive Christ, our Light. These 'parols' can also be seen in any Filipino home during the Advent season-they are as essential as the Christmas tree is in Britain. It would be good to have a traditional Filipino cloth to cover the altar, an offering of the Filipino national flower, sambaguita, which is like sweet jasmine, as well as a basket of fruit at the presentation of the gifts.

It is essential that we join with our ancestors and relive those traditions that make us who we are today—we can only build a strong future, based on firm and solid foundations. In these times, we desperately need to have signs and symbols of hope. In Ireland there is the wonderful tradition of placing a lighted red candle in the window on Christmas Eve. I was always told that it was the light of welcome to show the Holy Family that they would find hospitality in our home-we would not turn them away. I later found that the custom actually dated from penal times, when Catholicism was illegal. The lighted candle was a secret sign of welcome to the itinerant priests who roamed the countryside, under the safety of darkness, to celebrate mass. After the famine when thousands were forced to flee their homeland, the candle became a symbol of welcome home for Irish exiles all over the globe. The poet, Patrick Kavanagh wrote 'A Christmas Childhood' when he was living alone in a dingy Dublin flat, exiled from his loved ones:

My father played the melodion
Outside at our gate;
There were stars in the morning east
And they danced to his music.
Across the wild bogs his melodion called
To Lennons and Callans.
As I pulled on my trousers in a hurry
I knew some strange thing had happened.

Outside in the cow-house my mother
Made the music of milking;
The light of her stable-lamp was a star
And the frost of Bethlehem made it twinkle.
A water-hen screeched in the bog,
Mass-going feet
Crunched the wafer-ice on the pot-holes,
Somebody wistfully twisted the bellows wheel.

The lit candle was placed in the window when a family member was away or who had died to remember them, letting them know they were missed. It was also seen as a silent prayer for the safe return of the absent person and a sign that someone remained at home tending the fire and waiting. This is a touching tradition that helps families remember loved ones during the busyness of Christmas. A huge candle is lit in the official residence of the Irish President, Áras an Uachtaráin; it is symbol of remembrance for the huge Irish diaspora. At the official lighting, the current President, Michael D. Higgins saw its significance was even more special in these COVID-19 times:

We know, too, how difficult it is in so many ways for those who would wish to be with loved ones for whom they are concerned, but whose protection requires that they stay at a distance.

Christmas has traditionally seen thousands return 'home' to be with family and friends. With the fear associated with the Omicron variant, we wonder who will return home this year—despite the safety procedures in place However, Christmas 2021 will need to be different once again. Christmas can never be cancelled—just different. As we gather for the feast, we will remember those loved ones unable to get home. In Dublin this year, we see a river of lights flowing from the President's study onto his private gardens and into Phoenix Park itself, symbolically spreading the love from the First Citizen to all those unable to travel because of the pandemic.

Many nations use the candle as a symbol of light in the midst of darkness. Christianity, especially in the northern hemisphere, used the established pagan festivals that would have celebrated around the time of the Winter Solstice. Newgrange in the Boyne Valley was built over five thousand years ago; its interior chamber is only flooded with light at sunrise ONLY on 21st December-the shortest day. This site is a place of ancient worship and is much more than a simple burial chamber; it is an amazing place of astrological, spiritual, religious and ceremonial importance, much as present day cathedrals are places of prestige and worship where dignitaries may be laid to rest.

Christmas light will help us through the difficulties and problems that this year have brought. My own crib this year is carved out of a candle given to me by special friends—I cannot bring myself to light it and destroy the biblical scene. While windows bright with candlelight can symbolise different religious traditions, for Christians, a candle is lit to represent the Star of Bethlehem, guiding the Magi to the stable where Jesus was born. For those of Jewish faith, a menorah in the window is a Jewish custom symbolising the miracle of Chanukah, when a single jug of oil burnt for eight days. Today, a menorah in the window represents the determination of the Jewish people for not abandoning their own faith. In the East, one of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, Diwali 'Festival of Lights' symbolises the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. As Victor Hugo could proclaim in his masterpiece, 'Les Miserables':

Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.

In Poland, Christmas Eve is known as 'Wigilia'; the house is cleaned, and everyone wears their best festive clothes. The main Christmas meal is eaten in the evening and is called "Kolacja wigilijna"—Christmas Eve supper. It is traditional that no food is eaten, or even the first present opened, until the first star is seen in the sky. So, children look at the night sky to spot the first star so that feasting can begin. At the beginning of the meal, a large wafer biscuit called an 'Oplatek', which has a picture of Mary, Joseph and Jesus on it, is passed around the table and everyone breaks a piece off and eats it and says a Christmas greeting. They eat twelve courses in honour of the Twelve Apostles and pray for a safe twelve new months ahead. Traditionally the meal is meat-free, and this is to remember the animals who took take of the baby Jesus in the manger. An empty place is often left at the meal table, for an unexpected guest 'Niespodziewany Gość'. Polish people say that no one should be alone or hungry, therefore if someone unexpectedly knocks on the door they are welcomed. In some houses, the empty place remembers a dead relative or for a family member who could not come to the meal. Perhaps you can set an empty place at your table this year to remember those we have lost in this time of pain. Those we truly love can never be forgotten; as Christians we are a people rooted in remembrance. As we gather, either in person or online, to celebrate Eucharist, we proclaim, "do this in memory of me!" Build up your memories during this Christmas of challenge.

In Spain many people go to Midnight Mass or 'La Misa Del Gallo'-The Mass of the Rooster. It is called this because a rooster was supposed to have crowed the night that Jesus was born—all the laws of nature were broken as the rooster cried out at night. Christmas Eve is known as Nochebuena. In the days before Nochebuena, children might take part in 'piden el aguinaldo' where they go and sing carols around their neighbours, building a sense of community. The Filipino archipelago was colonised by the Mexicans and Spanish, bringing, no doubt, their 'rooster mass' tradition with them. This year, more than ever, we need to connect with our traditions and perhaps encourage our children to pass them on. Christmas 2021 will have to be different; we need to protect life anyway we can and not do the impossible this year. It can be something as simple as wearing a mask or keeping physical distance. Share your traditions and make new ones—bring your light to share this year. Perhaps this traditional French blessing can be ours:

Little Jesus of the crib
Give us the virtues of those that surround you
Make us philosophical as the fisherman
Carefree as the drummer
Merry in exploring the world as the troubadour
Eager for work as the bugler
Patient as the spinner
Kind as the ass
Strong as the ox that keeps you warm.
(Old French Prayer from Provence)

Keep A Candle In The Window

Author: Fr Gerry O'Shaughnessy SDB

Photo: Anne Nygård on Unsplash