Photo: Richmond Chi · CC BY-SA 4.0Nine nights · December 15/16 – 24
Simbang Gabi: the nine Masses before Christmas — and the US parishes that hold them
For nine days before Christmas, Filipino Catholics go to Mass before dawn — or, in most American parishes, in the evening — to prepare for Christmas together. Hundreds of US parishes now keep Simbang Gabi, and afterwards there is bibingka, puto bumbong and ginger tea in the parish hall. Here is what it means and a finder for the parishes near you.
196 parishes in 11 states · 2025 Mass times · checked September 2026
📍 Find one near youuntil Simbang Gabi
What is Simbang Gabi?
A novena — nine days — of Masses leading up to Christmas, the most-loved Christmas tradition of the Philippines. The name means 'night Mass'. It began in the Spanish colonial era, when priests said Mass before dawn so farmers could attend before going to the fields; the dawn Mass is called Misa de Gallo, the rooster's Mass.
In the Philippines the dawn Masses run from December 16 to 24. Many parishes also hold 'anticipated' evening Masses from December 15 to 23, and in the US that evening form is the most common. A popular belief says that if you complete all nine, your wish will be granted.
Bibingka, puto bumbong and the parol
After Mass, families head to the food stalls or the parish hall for bibingka — rice cake baked in banana leaves over coals, topped with salted egg and cheese — and puto bumbong, purple sticky rice steamed in bamboo tubes and eaten with butter, grated coconut and muscovado sugar, with salabat, hot ginger tea.
The symbol of the season is the parol, a star lantern for the star of Bethlehem, traditionally made of bamboo and capiz shell or paper. Many US parishes open the novena with a Parade of Parols — Los Angeles's cathedral does it every year. The season ends with Noche Buena, the family feast after Mass on Christmas Eve.
Photo: Eugene Alvin Villar · CC BY-SA 4.0Simbang Gabi in the United States
Filipino immigrants brought the novena to their American parishes, and dioceses now publish a full schedule each December: the Archdiocese of Los Angeles alone lists well over a hundred parishes. Each parish takes one or more nights, with Filipino choirs and a different celebrant, so many people follow a different church each night.
Photo: Obsidian Soul · CC0Find a Simbang Gabi parish near you
Every parish in the published diocesan schedules of Los Angeles and San Jose, plus the full Phoenix list and parishes we confirmed one by one in the dioceses of Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland, Orange, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Seattle, Dallas, Chicago, Richmond, Arlington, Newark, Orlando, Stockton and Boston. Houston (34 parishes) and some other dioceses publish their lists only as images or behind a login, so check your diocese site too. Schedules shown are from the 2025 novena; parishes post the 2026 times in late November.
Tap Near me for the closest Simbang Gabi parishes, with last year's Mass times.
By city
Diocesan opening and closing Masses, CA / VA / TX
Downtown Los Angeles
Parade of Parols and opening Mass
The archdiocese opens its novena with traditional music and a Parade of Parols, then Mass with the archbishop; the lanterns are blessed at the end.
Last held: Monday, December 15, 2025, 5:45 pm
San Diego
Diocesan Simbang Gabi vigil
The Diocese of San Diego's vigil and sending Mass before the novena.
Last held: Sunday, December 14, 2025, 6:30 pm
Daly City
Simbang Gabi Commissioning Mass
The Archdiocese of San Francisco's commissioning Mass and parol blessing that launches the novena.
Last held: Friday, December 12, 2025
Newport News, VA
Diocesan Simbang Gabi Mass
The Diocese of Richmond's Simbang Gabi Mass with the bishop and Filipino priests.
Last held: Sunday, December 21, 2025, 6:30 pm
Houston, TX
Simbang Gabi Culmination Mass
The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston closes its novena with the archbishop; the full parish list is published on the archdiocesan Simbang Gabi site.
Last held: Tuesday, December 23, 2025, 7 pm
Questions
- Is there Simbang Gabi in the USA?
- Yes — in hundreds of parishes, especially in California, Hawaii, Nevada, Texas, Illinois, Virginia and Florida. Use the finder above for the nearest.
- Does Simbang Gabi start on December 15 or 16?
- The dawn Masses start on December 16. Evening 'anticipated' Masses start the night before, on December 15, and end on December 23.
- Is Simbang Gabi nine or ten days?
- Nine — it is a novena. The ninth Mass is on the morning of Christmas Eve or the evening of December 23.
- What is the difference between Misa de Gallo and Simbang Gabi?
- Misa de Gallo is the dawn Mass, Simbang Gabi the name for the whole novena; in everyday use the evening Masses are often called Simbang Gabi and the dawn ones Misa de Gallo.