CEBU CITY, Philippines— Filipinos love celebrations, holidays or any other gatherings that will bring family members together.
Since All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day celebrations are coming, we all know that families will be doing their traditional cemetery visits during these days.
Visiting our departed loved ones has become a tradition every Filipino family had been practicing for ages.
CDN Digital listed below some remarkably Filipino practices that we do during our cemetery visits:
Stays in for hours— Filipino families find it relaxing to stay in cemeteries for hours just to talk and reminisce the past. Some would even spend the night there in fulfillment of a promise which they made to their departed loved ones. Along with the long hours of talking and bonding, families also pray for the souls of their dear departed.
Serving food to the dead— Most of us never miss out on this one. We place a plate of pasta, Filipino delicacy or even drinks near the tomb of our departed family members. Serving food is like making an offering of their favorite food or drinks. It’s like giving them a taste of what they loved the most while they were still alive.
Candle lighting— Cemetery visits are never complete if you do not bring along candles and flowers too. Families always light a candle/s before they say their individuals prayers for their departed loved ones. For Catholics, candle lighting is a form of prayer. The candle acts as an extension of our prayer that gets repeated over and over for as long as our candle remains lighted. So, better get your matches ready for some candle lighting.
Playing with melted candle waxes— Well, this one is for the kids and kids at heart who turn into creative geniuses with the different forms that they create from melted candle waxes. While the adults talk, kids always find some amusing things to do like collecting and playing with melted candle waxes. Just don’t get too close so you won’t have to suffer from hot wax burn.
Visiting a day early— Most Filipinos visit the cemeteries on November 1 or a day ahead of the All Soul’s Day celebration on November 2. It may be because of their work or the need to attend to other concerns. But whatever the reason may be, what is more important is that you made your cemetery visit to remember and pray for the souls of your dead family members or relatives. Those who no longer have tombs to visit go the chapel or a huge cross that is placed in a portion of the cemetery to light a candle and pray.
Some of the things that we do may seem bizarre to others, but these are genuine Filipino practices that we will never forget to do every November 1 and 2 of each year. / dcb