Establishing shot: Footages around Ligao Church and Park

Opening shot: Around Church Vicinity (Bell?) Jazelle sitting down.

Papalapit nanaman ang pasko and dahil nasa Pilipinas tayo we can see t traditions
unique to the Filipino Christmas season.

(footages of Christmas traditions or B-Roll sa labas centro)

At isa na nga jan ang Simbang Gabi.

Pero, natanong niyo na rin ba kung bakit Umaga ang Simbang Gabi?

(SB INTRO XMAS themed)

But First, what exactly is Simbang Gabi?

Simbang Gabi, may be classified in Catholic terms as a novena. 

A novena is a form of worship consisting of special prayers or services on nine

successive days.

That is why, Simbang Gabi is held from December 15 to December 24.

The last night is more commonly known as the Misa de Gallo or Mass of the Early-
Morning Rooster for very obvious reasons. 

(insert Rooster sounds or Rooster image?)

According to various sources the practice of Simbang Gabi was brought to us by

Spanish Colonizers around the 17th century. 

Like many of the traditions of organized religions, Simbang Gabi was used to teach
doctrine.

(Footages inside church during mass)

In particular, simbang gabi was used as a vehicle to teach converts on the meaning of
Christmas and encourage the faithful to come together as a community to anticipate the
coming of the Lord and rejoice in the promise of the Messiah - or saviour.

(Footage of homily on Xmas)

Pero bakit nga ba madaling araw at hindi gabi?

(Steady shot, presenter sitting, Bell area)

If you do a Google Search, like a reasonable person would, ang mga mababasa niyo is
something like this:

Na noong unang panahon daw gabi talaga ang simbang gabi dito sa Pilipinas pero
nakita ng mga prayle na pagod nang nagsisimba ang mga magsasaka. Kaya nagadjust
daw ang mga prayle para ma-accomodate ang mga magsasaka, kaya ginawa itong
umaga, para makapagsimba na sila bago pa man pumunta sa sakahan.

(Footages of farmers in the field)

(Back to presenter)

But the truth is much more complicated by that.

Rev. Fr. Fidel Villaroel, OP  in 1999 wrote a paper which he called: The Aguinaldo
Masses: Origins, Setbacks and Survival

Dito, sibukan niyang ipaliwanag using historical references kung ano nga ba talaga ang
pinagmulan ng Simbang Gabi. 

The article is a great read and offers us insights about how Simbang gabi started, kung
paanong pinagbawal siya ng Santo Papa for a period in time dahil daw masyadong
naging festive ang spirit ng mga nagsisimba, which they called “abuses”. 

And then these masses were celebrated again and we still do until now.

But the relevant detail in that paper is this:

Noon pa man, bago dalhin sa Pilipinas ang tradition ng Simbang Gabi, umaga na talaga
yun ginagawa sa España.

(Shrugs)

Over the years, like most religious activities, the real meaning of the tradition gets
diluted.

May mga nadagdag nang paniniwala na hindi naman talaga related sa official teaching. 

Halimbawa, may mga nagsasabi na kapag nakumpleto mo ang siyam na simbang gabi,
pwede kang magwish at magagrant daw yun.
May mga nagsasabi rin na ang dahilan daw kung bakit siyam na misa ang ginagawa eh
dahil daw siyam na buwan din sa sinapupunan si Hesus.

Of course these are teachings not endorsed by the Catholic Church. 

But this isn’t weird. This is actually expected.

The assimilation of local beliefs to the official teachings of an organized religion is
observable everywhere. 

In the past, napakacentral sa buhay ng mga tao ang religion.

The Church was then the most powerful figure in the world. 
But now, religion is but a fraction of the things we can do in the world.
In the past, wala naman masyadong magawa. 

So any activity na related sa simbahan invested talaga ang mga tao. 

Now, religion, or faith competes with a lot.

(montage of kids playing games, sports, TV)

And this may have something to do with cognitive ease.

Cognitive Ease is the ease with which our brain processes information. 

The higher the cognitive ease associated with a task, the more invested we are
in it. 
When cognitive ease goes down, the mental effort required to complete a task
becomes too high and we switch to a state of cognitive strain which can lead us to
become more suspicious resulting in a decrease in confidence, trust and  - pleasure.

In other words, mas komportable tayong paniwalaan ang mga bagay na hindi
natin gaanong kailangan pagisipan.. 
Kumbaga, the less effort we put into understanding something, the more likely
we are to believe something to be true. Especially when the stimulus is repeated on a
loop. 

Things that are true feel good, and we therefore associate things that feel good
as true.
And this may also be the reason why we believe stories more than research.
Stories resonate with us while historical facts may be cold, impersonal. 
Between a complex history of the origins of Simbang gabi and a touching story of
how church authorities accommodate the needs of the farmers. Which do you think is
easier to process?
Which is easier to believe?
So bakit nga ba, umaga ang simbang gabi?
(Shrug)