02/11/2025
๐๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐ | ๐จ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ๐: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด
Beyond the cold, dark breeze floating amidst the rugged arrays of tombstones and faded pictures of the departed, lies a warmth shared by lit candles and reconnection like a bright sun after a dark nightโa sight ever so common during the first days of November.
For many foreign countries, the early days of the 11th month may be deemed as "spooky season," but for the family-oriented Filipinos, it's a season of sharing, mourning, and reunion. "Undas" or All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day is greeted with the smell of incense, burning candles, fresh flowers, and comforting food held as offerings while some bites are shared between kin.
Here are some of the unique "Undas" traditions Filipinos uphold:
1. Treating the Occasion like a Family Reunion
Graves don't move. Filipinos, on the other hand, are like nomads that hop from place to place especially in the context of career-finding. So when "Undas" season arrives, the holiday serves as the perfect opportunity to reunite with loved ones from distant lands to mourn their departed together.
2. Offering and Eating Delicacies
Food is a major part of every Filipino celebration. So when "Undas" season knocks on the door, locals cook up delicious bites such as "Bihon", "Biko", and even "Lechon" in many cases. They would portion it out: offering some parts of the food to the dead, and enjoying the leftovers atop the graves to "eat with the deceased."
3. Celebrate, not Mourn
Filipinos are notorious for being jolly and hospitable people. And although "Undas" season is supposed to be about reuniting with the departed, Filipinos greet the holiday with karaoke, parties, and just having fun in general. To them, revisiting the deceased doesn't always mean reminiscing the sad past, but more so celebrating the happy memories they had with the dead, and the happy memories they're planning on making while still in the mortal realm.
The tradition of celebrating "Undas" is not just a Filipino thing. "Dia de los mu***os" or Day of the Dead is celebrated by many countries that were once colonized by Spain; a nod to the grave influence in tradition that colonization has brought us.
But regardless of its cultural context, "Undas" is beautifully Filipino. The way Filipinos celebrate it is rooted on their nature, their traditions, and their belief that mourning doesn't always equate to grief, but making every waking moment memorable in the living world, the way the departed made their living moments memorable.
"Undas" symbolizes the Filipino heart of loving, connecting, and sharing in many ways. Like the light by the lit candles, the celebration is a breath of fresh air and provides people with a different outlook on life. It stands as the warmth among the cold, the sweet beyond the bitter, the sunrise amidst the dark; the morning of mourning.
Words by Hermione Ylaya
Art by Hariette Ann Quindala
