All Saints and All Soul's Day in the Philippines

A Typical Cemetery Scene in the Philippines during All Soul's Day

Amor( my youngest sister) and husband Pol Gregorio and Family visit the tomb ( mausoleum) of our parents ( Dr and Mrs David J Katague) at the Barotac Viejo, Iloilo, Philippines  Cemetery, November 2, 2023.  

1. In the Philippines, this holiday has three names: Araw Ng Mga Patay (Day of the Dead), Todos Los Santos (All Saints Day), or Undas.

 2. Just like most holidays, food is very important on this day, and many prepare ahead by making the favorite dishes of their deceased family members.

3. One of the most popular foods eaten on Undas is Kakanin, a dessert made with sticky rice and coconut milk. A Nutshell favorite is biko, the brown sugar flavor.

4. A popular Undas tradition is to clear the cemetery of weeds and overgrowth, and decorate graves with flowers and candles to honor those who have passed.

 5. Filipinos usually choose white flowers since the absence of color is a reminder that it's a solemn day. However, it's also common to honor the dead by celebrating their life with food, music, and joy! For details visit:

https://nutshellcoolers.com/blogs/the-nutshell-blog/6-things-you-should-know-about-day-of-the-dead-the-philippines-version#:~:text=In%20the%20Philippines%2C%20this%20holiday,Saints%20Day)%2C%20or%20Undas.

 How do Filipinos honor the dead?

Most Filipinos go to the cemetery to visit the graves of deceased relatives and friends. Some prefer to go on Oct. 31^st or Nov. 1^st, while some go to the cemetery for three straight days. Others would spend the night at their loved ones mausoleum. Once they arrive, they clean the tombs, light up candles, offer flowers, and say a prayer for the souls of the departed.

Comment of a Tourist after visiting a Cemetery in the Philippines on All Saint/Soul Days:" What I liked the most is a contrast between Western cultures, in which death and All Saints’ Day is calm and focused on contemplation, and Filipino culture, in which people celebrate this holiday in happier way. I think it is amazing that instead of being sad and miss those who passed away, Filipinos are light and grateful to remember all the good things about their late relatives".

Women carrying woven baskets on their heads to take part in a procession during the Day of the Dead celebrations in Los Angeles, Oct. 28, 2023.

Here in the US among the Latino population specifically Mexican- Americans, celebrate Day of the Dead ( Dia de los Muertos) with fiestas and decorating family gravesites similar to the celebration in the Philippines. Here's an excerpt from an article by 12news.com published today.

https://www.12news.com/article/syndication/the-conversation/what-is-day-of-the-dead-dia-de-los-muertos/507-66b806c2-043a-4923-a19d-c53162042e44#:~:text=Day%20of%20the%20Dead%20is,among%20Latinos%20in%20the%20U.S.   

"Día de los Muertos is a traditional fiesta in honor of the deceased that is celebrated in Mexico and other parts of Latin America on Nov. 1 and 2. The holiday is celebrated though ritual observations like constructing altars filled with offerings to the dead and decorating family gravesites to commune with the dead. Day of the Dead is also commemorated through vivacious fiestas in which communities gather in town plazas and community centers to celebrate by dancing, playing music, feasting, drinking and masquerading as death.

Although Day of the Dead is a long-standing tradition in Mexico, the holiday wasn’t celebrated widely or publicly among Latinos in the U.S. That changed in the 1970s and 1980s when artists and activists introduced Day of the Dead to their communities as part of the Chicano movement, the social and cultural movement for Mexican-American empowerment.

As Latinos began celebrating the holiday proudly and publicly in the U.S., they also began distinguishing it from Halloween. That’s because many non-Latinos mistakenly interpreted Day of the Dead’s skull and skeleton imagery as witchcraft. Latinos used the phrase “Día de los Muertos is not Mexican Halloween” to protect the holiday from misrepresentation, educate the broader public about the cultural tradition and shield themselves from discrimination.

The declaration was also used in the 1970s and 1980s by Mexico’s tourism industry when it began vigorously promoting Day of the Dead internationally as a cultural attraction. Tourists arriving in Mexico were informed that Día de los Muertos was an authentic national holiday that bore no relation to Halloween.

Photo from Mexico City Celebration of Dia de los Muertos