Catholics in the Philippines, are continuing a 600-year-old pre-Christmas tradition in honour of the Virgin Mary. 

Referred to as "Simbang Gabi" which translates to "Night Mass" the tradition includes a series of nine Masses to symbolically remember the nine months of Mary's pregnancy. 

The pre-dawn Masses occur from December 16 to 24. In the Philippines, the tradition was so popular that churches would often be overflowing with crowds of attendees.

It began at dawn due to the historical occupations when the tradition was first celebrated. The people of the area were often fishermen or rice field workers who were too tired to attend Mass in the evening after their work which ended at dawn. 

The priest recognized the difficulty and rescheduled the Masses to occur pre-dawn and include a community meal with rice-based dishes.

Church bells rang at 3:30 a.m. to and the path was light by traditional star-shaped Christmas lanterns. Traditionally bands would also play Christmas tunes as the people gathered. 

The tradition is still continued today with minor cultural changes. Vendors now sell the rice-treats in lieu of the communal meal, and many parishes have moved their masses to the evenings to accommodate modern work schedules.