As Australians dive into Christmas celebrations, the country’s Filipino community is winding down from one of its most cherished and enduring traditions.
Simbang Gabi, known as night mass, is a nine day celebration filled with church services, music, gratitude and food. It remains a beloved pillar of Filipino culture, both in the Philippines and abroad.
Vivien Hanrahan, president of the Mackay Filipino Australian Community, says food plays a powerful role in bringing people together. “According to my mother, any celebration has to include sticky rice because it glues people together,” she said.
She recalls helping her mother prepare for Simbang Gabi as early as October when she was growing up in the Philippines. Decades later in Mackay, a north Queensland city with one of the state’s largest Filipino communities, she still uses her mother’s recipes for spring rolls, empanadas and ham glaze.
The tradition dates back to the 16th Century and was originally observed with masses beginning at 3am from December 16 to 24. This year, however, Mackay held only one mass due to a shortage of priests.
Ms Hanrahan remembers her early years in Australia as confusing and full of adjustment. She arrived in North Queensland in 1984 with her husband Ted and their young daughter after the couple had spent time working in Hong Kong. They were among the first wave of Filipino immigrants to settle in the region.
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