In Brazil, what is the traditional midnight Christmas Mass called?

In Brazil, the traditional midnight Christmas Mass is called Missa do Galo.

The Portuguese phrase literally means “Rooster’s Mass,” and the service is celebrated late on Christmas Eve or just after midnight. It is associated with the birth of Jesus and is held in churches across Brazil, as well as in other Portuguese-speaking Catholic communities.

The name is commonly explained through a traditional story that a rooster crowed at the time of Christ’s birth, although the historical origin of the expression is less certain than the story suggests. The phrase is also used in Portugal and other places with Portuguese cultural influence.

Missa do Galo is a religious service, not the name of a meal or a carol. In Brazil it forms part of a broader Christmas celebration that often includes a family supper on Christmas Eve and gift-giving around midnight.