Simbang Gabi

Mass was at 4AM and 5 minutes before that, tricycles packed with Hall 1 residents were roaring uphill towards the Miagao Church. It is the first of the nine days of masses held before Christmas. The church was packed and overflowing with people, some coming from as far away as Iloilo City. Finding a seat was not easy and some just had to stand. The mass was long - about 2 hours with Latin hymns dominating the time. Yes! In Iloilo, Simbang Gabi is still sung in Latin. The choir was great. Their soprano reverberated across the plaza and across the town.

The mass started when it was still dark. When it ended, people were greeted with the golden sunrise that illuminated the yellow-sandstone facade of the church. Even if some of us had zero-hours of sleep, it was a refreshing experience seeing the pigeons gliding from the trees to the belfries.

After this mass, the dorm will pretty much be empty. Each one to their home among the many islands of the Philippines. But before they part for Christmas break, the dormers who managed to get up for this early morning mass had their photo shoot (as usual!) in front of the World-heritage Miagao Church.