ABOUT A week ago, I asked my siblings of their plans for the All Saints’ Day. No, this was not about some grand vacation or out-of-town trips that they have scheduled in advance to take advantage of the holiday break. This simply meant asking them who was going home when, who was leaving on the same day, and who was staying overnight or an extra day in our family home.
Daun or Undas as it is more popularly called today is one those occasions when instant family reunions, gatherings and bonding moments happen over food and of course, countess reminiscences.
My brother Noel and I were in our elementary years when we would always look forward to the group of singers from the barrios whom our elders referred to as “reng mangaladwa.” They would go from one house to another every night from October 29-31 to solicit cash or gifts as they sang songs related to All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. Their rendition of hauntingly beautiful songs was their solemn act of praying for the souls of the departed.
Some say the “Pangangaluluwa” is the Filipino version of the Americans’ trick-or-treat. I am no expert on Filipino culture but as far as I remember, the barrio singers that we have been accustomed listening to every year were never dressed in some Halloween costumes. While they presented themselves as “lost souls” trying to ask for anything they could bring to the world of the dead, they were never scary at all. Their voices sounded like they came from under the ground; but their poignant melodies were in fact, a request for prayers for the faithful departed and the souls in purgatory.
During the weekend before All Saints’ Day, the public cemeteries were teeming with folks cutting talahib and other wild grass that have grown unwantedly tall , cleaning the tombs, repainting the lapidas, and making sure that everything was picture-perfect for the big day. If you have missed a year or two in visiting the memorial parks, this meant extra challenge as you try navigating your way through a labyrinth of tombs and markers through narrow paths, trying to figure out the exact burial site of a departed family member or relative.
My mother would always make sure there was enough food for everyone especially our relatives who wouldn’t mind taking the long drive just to light candles and say a prayer for our departed. They would then proceed to our house for lunch, afternoon snacks or early dinner. In the afternoon the staple food would always be a combination of any of the following – pancit luglug, putong maputi, bibingkang nasi cooked the old-fashion way, goto or lelut manuk a native.
But from morning till early evening, I would join my brother and our other friends collecting melted wax from lighted candles in different tombs. We would collect all that we could and formed them into a ball of colorful candle wax. There was one year when we wouldn’t stop collecting wax even if it was already getting late. One of our maternal aunts then warned us that the souls of those buried in the tombs where we collected our melted max would visit us in our sleep. That must have scared the wits out of me, that I left everything that we collected and then the following year I totally lost the drive to collect melted wax.
I would then join one of our aunts going from one tomb to another of our departed family members praying the Decenario ning Mal a Pasion. I did not even fully understand what we were praying back then. Over the years I have gotten to memorize my responses to every prayer said by my aunt.
Today, the Undas scene in many public and private memorial park is replete with many fun-filled activities so that people can stay the whole day or even for extended hours without getting bored. Masses are now offered in the main chapel, food stalls are put up, free mini concerts are held, and many other activities. While I don’t find anything wrong with these “add-ons” let us make sure we are never lost in the trappings of this important celebration. Let us continue to pray for the eternal repose of our departed family members and friends, not just on one specific day of the year, but every single day.
