Every November 1, my mother would wake me up every 5:30 in the morning. In the usual time, it would always take me five seconds to analyze why my mother woke me up. And then I realize its the time of the year again. I wouldn't wake up grudgingly mostly at this day. At the usual time as I get up from my bed, I would always ask my mother "Where's breakfast?", with the same common reply of "We'll eat when we come back home." I wouldn't take a bath anymore, just brush my teeth, wash my face, change my clothes, put on cologne, and that's that. Year by year, the routine may change at times, but it's still the same format. But as the years go by, All Soul's Day may have seem to lose its true essence. For me that is.
Philippines: Where everything, and I do mean everything is colorful.Since I was a kid, it has been a tradition in our family to visit our departed loved ones during this special day. Well, technically speaking, every Filipino family does, or anyone around the world that celebrates All Soul's Day for that matter. But what makes this day special is that Filipino's have a knack of celebrating All Soul's day differently. It's like a Fiesta, family reunions are planned, people will prepare lots of food and the common hobby of Filipino's during "Undas", gambling (or for others, Karaoke). Well, not can be said to all Filipino families. Some just bring flowers and candles, visit their departed loved ones and offer a prayer. That's mostly the highlight of All Soul's Day for them.
For our part, its just mostly my grandpa, grandma, mama, sister and myself. We usually leave around 6AM to save ourselves from traffic. From there, we go visit first the wireless cemetery at top of Bankerohan (forgot the name). We would go first visit my grandpa's parents. At the beginning, my grandfather would actually come with us, but as years passed by and well, the cemetery pathway getting small every year, my grandpa would just wait in the car. It's just a short walk, but the pathway is really small and its hard just to see that the path walk is the actual graveyard for some of the departed (mostly infants). As we reach the grave site, my grandma and mother would arrange the flowers and candles, and then I would lead the prayer. After that, we would go to the another wireless cemetery just near the first one we went to (forgot the name again), and we would visit this time my grandma's parents. It's a shorter walk compared to the first one. Same as usual, my grandma and mother would do the usual decorating and I would do the praying.
So for this year, we mostly did the same thing, but it felt like more of a "thing-I-need-to-do" rather than "paying-respect-and-visiting-your-departed-relatives". And everything seem to just passed by so fast, I didn't notice that we only just spent barely 30 minutes there, quite a record from the past few years. I felt bad for myself as we were going home, I felt that I'm not celebrating this special occasion. I just felt that I went there because I was suppose to come. For the first time, giving importance for the day of the dead just seemed, normal to me. Not a single care, I bowed down and played with my phone. Also, it was a weird morning sky. It was clear, and yet is was raining.
I ain't no cloud expert, but explain to me why there's rain on this sky.
For our part, its just mostly my grandpa, grandma, mama, sister and myself. We usually leave around 6AM to save ourselves from traffic. From there, we go visit first the wireless cemetery at top of Bankerohan (forgot the name). We would go first visit my grandpa's parents. At the beginning, my grandfather would actually come with us, but as years passed by and well, the cemetery pathway getting small every year, my grandpa would just wait in the car. It's just a short walk, but the pathway is really small and its hard just to see that the path walk is the actual graveyard for some of the departed (mostly infants). As we reach the grave site, my grandma and mother would arrange the flowers and candles, and then I would lead the prayer. After that, we would go to the another wireless cemetery just near the first one we went to (forgot the name again), and we would visit this time my grandma's parents. It's a shorter walk compared to the first one. Same as usual, my grandma and mother would do the usual decorating and I would do the praying.
So for this year, we mostly did the same thing, but it felt like more of a "thing-I-need-to-do" rather than "paying-respect-and-visiting-your-departed-relatives". And everything seem to just passed by so fast, I didn't notice that we only just spent barely 30 minutes there, quite a record from the past few years. I felt bad for myself as we were going home, I felt that I'm not celebrating this special occasion. I just felt that I went there because I was suppose to come. For the first time, giving importance for the day of the dead just seemed, normal to me. Not a single care, I bowed down and played with my phone. Also, it was a weird morning sky. It was clear, and yet is was raining.
I ain't no cloud expert, but explain to me why there's rain on this sky.The morning went by and I lay down in my bed studying (sorta). I closed my eyes and reflected about All Soul's Day. After all these years, I thought I knew how special this holiday is. But things have changed, everything just seems flat. I don't know what's wrong. Oh, I know I'm not totally okay, but I don't think it affects my outlook on All Soul's day. Then what has changed? Have I've grown too much? Has this day just turned nothing but ordinary to me? Nothing seems special anymore, it's actually quite hard to take.
I used to be scared when November 1 is coming. Malls would be putting there Halloween decorations. For a kid like me, they were fun, but the real scare was on, uhmmm, on the TV. Shows would be putting their horror special. Every movie showed are horror movies. And the most the scared me the most back then? Noli de Castro, every time he has his yearly Magandang Gabi Bayan Horror special. He would scare the shit out of me (all the ghost effects and scary stories). And of course, the usual, "Oh God oh God, there around, monster's have the reason to come out at night at this day". I was a scaredy cat, hated horror movies, but I guess that made November 1 for me special. It was a different kind of a holiday. Whenever I feel that scare in me, I just know it's that time of the year again.
More than that, my family would celebrate November 1 quite differently back then. In the mother side, it was still quite the same (the routine earlier), but in the father side, we would celebrate it on the cemetery. During those times, my grandpa (paternal side) was still alive, and we would spend the rest of the day at my grandma's (paternal side) parents grave site. My father would put a tent, and beside there, was the grave site of Lolo Thomas, a family friend that was quite close with my great grandparents. With Lolo Thomas' family and our family, it was fun. There were a lot of food, people were playing cards, adults gamble while the kids play kiddie card games. I wasn't that mature back then, but I knew that All Soul's Day was special. The entire Davao Memorial Park is a huge party, every seems to be enjoying themselves. It was more about visiting the dearly departed, but celebrating it with them, as if there were still alive.
"Yeah, yeah, yehehe, it's a party in the cemetery...."
Years passed and things have changed. Despite my grandpa died, we never practiced the whole "let's-put-a-tent-and-just-celebrate-here". We do visit him every Sunday (I don't come usually), but mostly we just skipped this year (due to traffic and it has only been two years). But even before my grandpa died, we never spend that much time anymore at Davao Memorial Park. We go and visit, but that's just it.
Earlier this afternoon, my father decided to visit my late grandpa's site. Of course, since I don't come at Sunday's that much, I wanted to go. Using our bikes, me and my father cycled our way there (it was our 2nd time to do that together, 1st time was I think way back in high school). Anyways, as we were having a hard time going pass by the "human traffic", I would see the usual tents, the happy people celebrating with their dearly departed, and the food that was sold that included pizzas, burger, and even Mang Inasal. At every grave site that me and my father visited, I felt the usual flatness during the morning when I was with my grandparents and mother. I did the usual prayers, but they just doesn't seemed that much deep. It was just more about, praying, rather than showing to them that it's their day.
I guess because of the changes, growing up, not practicing the old practices anymore, All Soul's Day has become just another day to me. But for everything that might have changed, always remember that this day is still for them. Every prayer that I gave, they might not be that deep, but everything came from the heart. I do pray that their soul's will forever rest in peace, that their souls will forever be blessed by God, and that they continue to watch over the families that they have left physically. All in all, I guess what I'm just trying to say, All Soul's Day, through all these years, have changed for me. But if there's one thing that doesn't change, I know that this day is especially for them. For the entire year, this is the day that you not only remember them, but also celebrate with them. Celebrate the death that, was not an end, but an eternity with the presence of the Lord. From me to your dearly departed, may their souls rest in peace, forever be blessed, and look at you and your family always. Happy All Saint's and Soul's Day everyone.
Amen.
I used to be scared when November 1 is coming. Malls would be putting there Halloween decorations. For a kid like me, they were fun, but the real scare was on, uhmmm, on the TV. Shows would be putting their horror special. Every movie showed are horror movies. And the most the scared me the most back then? Noli de Castro, every time he has his yearly Magandang Gabi Bayan Horror special. He would scare the shit out of me (all the ghost effects and scary stories). And of course, the usual, "Oh God oh God, there around, monster's have the reason to come out at night at this day". I was a scaredy cat, hated horror movies, but I guess that made November 1 for me special. It was a different kind of a holiday. Whenever I feel that scare in me, I just know it's that time of the year again.
More than that, my family would celebrate November 1 quite differently back then. In the mother side, it was still quite the same (the routine earlier), but in the father side, we would celebrate it on the cemetery. During those times, my grandpa (paternal side) was still alive, and we would spend the rest of the day at my grandma's (paternal side) parents grave site. My father would put a tent, and beside there, was the grave site of Lolo Thomas, a family friend that was quite close with my great grandparents. With Lolo Thomas' family and our family, it was fun. There were a lot of food, people were playing cards, adults gamble while the kids play kiddie card games. I wasn't that mature back then, but I knew that All Soul's Day was special. The entire Davao Memorial Park is a huge party, every seems to be enjoying themselves. It was more about visiting the dearly departed, but celebrating it with them, as if there were still alive.
"Yeah, yeah, yehehe, it's a party in the cemetery...."Years passed and things have changed. Despite my grandpa died, we never practiced the whole "let's-put-a-tent-and-just-celebrate-here". We do visit him every Sunday (I don't come usually), but mostly we just skipped this year (due to traffic and it has only been two years). But even before my grandpa died, we never spend that much time anymore at Davao Memorial Park. We go and visit, but that's just it.
Earlier this afternoon, my father decided to visit my late grandpa's site. Of course, since I don't come at Sunday's that much, I wanted to go. Using our bikes, me and my father cycled our way there (it was our 2nd time to do that together, 1st time was I think way back in high school). Anyways, as we were having a hard time going pass by the "human traffic", I would see the usual tents, the happy people celebrating with their dearly departed, and the food that was sold that included pizzas, burger, and even Mang Inasal. At every grave site that me and my father visited, I felt the usual flatness during the morning when I was with my grandparents and mother. I did the usual prayers, but they just doesn't seemed that much deep. It was just more about, praying, rather than showing to them that it's their day.
I guess because of the changes, growing up, not practicing the old practices anymore, All Soul's Day has become just another day to me. But for everything that might have changed, always remember that this day is still for them. Every prayer that I gave, they might not be that deep, but everything came from the heart. I do pray that their soul's will forever rest in peace, that their souls will forever be blessed by God, and that they continue to watch over the families that they have left physically. All in all, I guess what I'm just trying to say, All Soul's Day, through all these years, have changed for me. But if there's one thing that doesn't change, I know that this day is especially for them. For the entire year, this is the day that you not only remember them, but also celebrate with them. Celebrate the death that, was not an end, but an eternity with the presence of the Lord. From me to your dearly departed, may their souls rest in peace, forever be blessed, and look at you and your family always. Happy All Saint's and Soul's Day everyone.
Amen.