Misa del Gallo (Spanish for "Rooster's Mass") is a Christmas custom that is practiced in the Philippines. For nine days, starting on December 16 up to December 24, Filipinos attend dawn masses, which usually start at around 4:00-5:00 a.m. This practice started centuries ago during the Spanish colonial period. Priests held early dawn masses for the farmers who wanted to attend Christmas mass but could not leave their fields. These masses were held before daybreak, hence the Filipino term "Simbang Gabi" ([Mid]night Mass). Even today, Filipinos wake up very early in the morning to attend the Misa de Gallo as an expression of devotion to God. Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday that marks the traditional birthdate of Jesus of Nazareth. ... December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... December 24 is the 358th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (359th in leap years). ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ...

One of the customs related to the Misa de Gallo is the selling of traditional Philippine food, such as puto bumbong (a purple colored rice pastry, seasoned with grated coconut and brown sugar),tsokolate (a hot cocoa drink), bibingka ( cakes cooked on top and under), and salabat, or ginger tea, which are sold by vendors outside the churches to the faithful. Cocoa beans in a cacao pod Cocoa is the dried and partially fermented fatty seed of the cacao tree from which chocolate is made. ... Bebinca, also known as Bibik, is a dessert from Goa, India. ...