The Days of All Saints and Souls Remembered

We were at the town’s only public Catholic cemetery yesterday and visited our dear departed.

Here in our place, as in the whole country, November 1st is designated by the church and the government as All Saints day. So that if the date falls on a weekday other than Saturday or Sunday, it is a non-working holiday regardless of religion or belief.

At times when dates fall on weekdays like a Friday, the afternoon of Thursday becomes an unofficial holiday, too. But lucky this year, the 1st falls on a Sunday. People are given time to return to their hometowns and provinces.

The occasion would also become a quick opportunity for mini-family reunions, of sort. Just imagine the throng of people jampacked in countless provincial bus terminals and ports in the nation’s urban cities and towns when all their train of thoughts are focused on going back to a familiar place. All roads lead back to the rural birthplace once they call home, long ago.

We grew up with this tradition and now share it with the new and upcoming generation in our family. Even the immediately past typhoon Santi which made a hint of passing by in our place last Saturday did not dampen the festive mood. For commemorating our dead gone for more than a decade is more of remembering happy memories spent with them when we were sharing and making impressions in our lives together.

Where the 1st is officially the day of the saints, the next day is for the souls of the departed. So some here in town forego the visit on the first and instead come on the 2nd. It doesn’t make any difference though, just to avoid the crowd and have some peaceful moments in the place.

Before the special day arrives, tombs are cleared of wild grass and spruced with new paint cover. So that on the appointed day, families bring with them ornate candles, bouquet of flowers, finger foods and drinks for snacks, and some chairs too! In the old days, others even bring radios, but now, an Ipod will do.

Masses are offered in church in the hope of uplifting souls in the purgatory and showing the new generations that when their parents depart, they will do the same, too. Doing it by example.

Aldaw nin Santo asin Gadan

Yaon kami duman sa publikong sementeryo kan banwaan binista an samuyang mga mahal sa buhay na mayo na.

Digde sa samuyang lugar, pareho man sa enterong nasyon, an Noviembre uno apod aldaw kan mga Santo. Kun kaya pag abot kan fechang ini kun sa tahaw kan semana apuera kun Sabado o Domingo, deklarado na fiesta opisyal. Kun an fecha namugtak arog kan Viernes, an hapon kan Hueves garo man bakasyon an hapon. Masuerte ngonian na taon, an uno yaon Domingo. Mga tawo natawan nin panahon magbisita sa saindang banwaan asin provincia.

An okasyon sarong oportunidad para sa biglang paghirilingan. Isipon lang na an kadakul na tawo nagsususuan sa pam-provincia na sakayan nin awto saka puerto kan ciudad asin mga dakulang banwaan kan nasyon na an nasa isip an pagpuli sa dating banwaan. Gabos na kalye pasiring sa lugar na tinubuan minsan inapod na harong, kadakul nang taon an nakaagi.

Sa tradisyon na ini kami kan mga tugang asin pinsan nagdakula asin ngonian padagos na ginigibo kaiba an bagong henerasyon kan pamilya. Maski an kaaagi pa lang na bagyong Santi kan Sabado dai man nagpabago kan maogmang pagselebrar kan okasyon. An pag-giromdom kan mga gadan dekada na an nakalipas iyo an pagromdom kan mga maogmang aldaw asin panahon na sinda kaibahan pa kasabay sa pan-aro-aldaw na buhay.

Kun an primerong fecha kan bulan opisyal na aldaw kan mga santo, an minasunod dulot naman sa mga gadan. Kaya an iba digde sa banwaan minaduman sa kamposanto sa fecha dos. Mayo man pagkaiba, gusto lang na kulang an yaon sa lugar asin mas dikit an ribok kan tawo.

Bago mag abot an espesyal na aldaw, an mga nitso piglinig na asin nagabot na an mga doot, may bagong pintang puti. Kaya pag abot kan aldaw an miembro kan familya may dara nin magagayon na kandila, mga burak, pagkakan asin inumon; igua man nin tukawan! Kan mga nakaging panahon, an iba may dara pang radyo, pero ngonian. puede na an Ipod.

Dai man piglilingawan an pagdulot ni misa sa simbahan para sa mga kalag kan kapartidaryo asin sa purgaturyo, ipinapaheling sa bagong henerasyon na pag mayo na an saindang magurang, sindang nawalat iyo man an gibohon. Magpaarog sa paagi kan pagpaheling nin marhay na gawi.


0 thoughts on “The Days of All Saints and Souls Remembered”

  1. Hi Japa, that was very well said. But you forgot to write that flowers were so expensive during the occasion but it is on sale on the next day. Hehe.

    AL

  2. Hi, Al.

    That’s very true. But here in our town, we make do with whatever worthy flowers we have gathered from our pots, which fortunately some were grown for the purpose, like roses and orchids. It’s a different situation from folks coming home from the cities where they buy flowers so expensively priced.

  3. Interesting that All Saints Day is a public holiday in the Philippines. Japa, Thanks for your visit and have a nice day!

  4. Here, in Sweden, its totally different from BrASIL….my homecountry…
    Japa, here is holiday…teh first saturday on november…
    nice information u posted.
    Have a nice day, dearest

    graceolsson.se/mittliv

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