A pandemic Christmas

Simbang Gabi literally means “night Mass,” but it actually occurs at daybreak. The Simbang Gabi or Misa de Aguinaldo refers to the nine-day countdown to Christmas Eve that traditionally begins on Dec. 16 and ends on Dec. 24. Do not confuse the novena Masses with the Christmas Eve Mass or Misa de Gallo (literally “Rooster’s Mass”) that is traditionally held around 11 p.m. of Dec. 24 to tide over to 12:01 a.m. of Dec. 25, Christmas Day.

When churches in the city made concessions and had Simbang Gabi at night, traditionalists scoffed at it, insisting that the real sacrifice was waking up early to hear Mass for nine days and get a wish or intention granted. Things are likely to get easier after the pandemic, with people having grown accustomed to the many choices for livestream Masses. One can follow the Pope in Rome, or various churches in Manila, via Zoom or FB Live. Today, the online Mass-goer has a choice of language, celebrant, sermon, and length of service. Furthermore, the online Mass-goer has the power to rewind, fast forward, pause, stop, or delete the religious service.

It is not only teachers and students that needed to adopt to online learning. We now also have online praying. Some of my friends were scandalized when I asked them to recommend rosary apps that would allow one to pray the rosary hands-free, because I wanted to multitask morning exercise and prayer. It all depends on how one phrases the question. You will get a frown if you ask “Can I exercise while praying?”, and a high-five if you ask “Can I pray while exercising?”

Pre-pandemic Makati would be gridlocked around the shopping malls at this time of year, but last Sunday evening, Ayala Avenue was a breeze. Have people shifted to shopping online? Or are they wary of staying too long inside an air-conditioned mall? Or maybe they are turned off by the requirement to fill up contact tracing forms in establishments that seem to take these things seriously? With office Christmas parties banned in the metro and families thinking twice about the health risks of Noche Buena 2020, this year will really be different from anything we have ever experienced before.

Three months into quarantine, I wrote off 2020 and just looked forward to 2021. When I went to the bank to stock up on crisp banknotes for Christmas and Chinese New Year envelopes, I tried to recall all the folk beliefs on making your money grow better than the interest rates offered by banks these days.

First, we are told to spend on Christmas and New Year’s. We are taught that if one gives, one can expect a return in good fortune. All debts, big and small, have to be settled before Dec. 31 so that you enter the New Year with a clean slate. However, you should never count money at night or give or exchange money at night, not even to pay a debt, because these are considered inauspicious.

Money received as gifts on Christmas or New Year (both the Gregorian and Lunar Chinese New Year) are not to be spent, but kept in a bag or wallet for good luck or prosperity in the next year. Speaking of wallets, if you decide to give a wallet, purse, or bag as a Christmas gift, make sure it is not “empty.” Placing a banknote or coin inside brings good luck. It is also said that you must keep a coin or banknote inside your wallet or purse that is never spent, so that you are literally never out of money. Don’t forget to arrange the banknotes in your wallet face side up, from lowest to highest denomination, and if you are up to it, with ascending serial numbers, too.

If you are to give shoes or a pointed object as a Christmas gift, you have to ask the recipient to “buy” or “pay” for these. One does not need to pay the cost of the gift; rather, a token sale or exchange is made with a coin or the lowest denomination banknote, P20, to insure that the receiver will not walk away from the gift-giver or, worse, stab him or her in the back.

To avoid the hassle of remembering all these reminders, it is simpler to give food. Fruitcakes are the traditional Christmas gift, but in recent years there have been more choices: ensaimadas, cookies, and other sweets. There was a year when scented candles were the gift of choice; this year it’s probably hand soap, hand sanitizer, or face mask.

We all hope for a better 2021, when we will look back with relief on our having survived 2020 and the pandemic.

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