Children come to watch the Christmas light display at the old Lizares Mansion in Jaro, Iloilo City, which has become an annual Christmas attraction. (Photo by TARA YAP)

Millions of Filipino families will gather in churches for the Christmas Eve midnight mass Thursday night amid the pealing of church bells to recall the exact time the Blessed Mother gave birth to the Son of God in a quaint and lonely manger in the outskirts of Jerusalem more than 2,000 years ago.

Thursday night’s celebration of the “Misa de Gallo” in churches and public plazas is a tradition that has been at the core of the nation’s Yuletide festivity since the very first Christmas was celebrated in the Philippines by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in 1565.

In Bethlehem where it all started in Biblical times, thousands of pilgrims and tourists will cram around the Manger Square, said to be the exact holy spot where the baby Jesus was born, amidst heavy security by government forces to guarantee their safety.

Meanwhile, in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI will break tradition this year and celebrate the Christmas Eve mass at the St. Peter’s Basilica at 10 p.m. instead of midnight “to help ease the 82-year-old Pontiff’s holiday season fatigue,” the Vatican said.

Vatican aides decided “to conserve his strength” and the Pope agreed.

In a message, the Holy Father reminded the faithful to “reflect in the light of Christ and on the meaning of our existence. We must draw closer to Christ,” he said, “because union with God remains the only way to bring our existence to fulfillment.”

Back home, the centuries-old native celebration of the “Noche Buena” meal following the “Misa de Gallo” will be held across the country when families gather in prayers of thanksgiving over the Good News of Salvation wrought by the birth of the Prince of Peace.

There will be great rejoicing in many homes specially after midnight amidst a backdrop of multi-colored lights and holiday adornments around Christmas trees, under which presents and gifts are ready to be opened by eager children who have been counting down every single day in the December calendar in anticipation of Thursday night’s celebration.

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales will lead the celebration of the Christmas Eve mass at 8:30 p.m. Thursday night at the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros where church services will include the lighting of the white center candle in the Advent wreath, known as the Christ candle, to herald the Birth of the Savior.

In Catholic churches, the Christmas Eve mass will be celebrated at 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. with the reenactment of the journey of St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother in search of lodging for the soon-to-be born Messiah serving as the highlight of the Eucharistic celebration.

Also known as “panunuluyan,” “pananawagan,” or “pananapatan,” the religious play is usually held at the parish grounds where a manger has been set up.

The Christmas season liturgically begins on Christmas Eve and lasts through the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on the Sunday following the Solemnity of the Epiphany.

While gospel readings in this year’s “Simbang Gabi” dawn masses dwelt on the mission of St. John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus, as the harbinger of the season of Advent to prepare for the Way of the Lord, tonight’s readings will be culled from the Book of Isaiah and St. Paul’s letter to Titus.

Homilies will remind the faithful of the “goodness and kindness of God that appeared to the world with the birth of Jesus,” to announce the Good News of the promised redemption.

Tonight’s “Noche Buena” follows days of kitchen preparation by mothers and grandmothers who look forward to their midnight family reunions not only with their children and grandchildren in attendance but visiting relatives as well.

Even with the harsh times, families will gather around tables filled with traditional holiday food and fruits with the Christmas ham and “queso de bola” wrapped in red wax as the centerpiece of the midnight meal.

The joyful mode following the “Noche Buena” is expected to linger till the early morning hours of Friday, Christmas Day, when more families and friends are expected to visit and share their blessings in the spirit of the season.

Because it is in giving and sharing that defines the joy only Christmas brings.