Apart from Christmas, "All Saints Day" (Nov 1) & "All Souls Day" (Nov 2) are twin National Holidays traditionally observed as Family Re-union Days in the Philippines. At this time of the year, most Filipinos get to see:
- A vibrant Domestic Tourism due to the Week-long Holiday
- Public Transport Terminals congested with people travelling in all directions just to be with Family Relations -despite distance and circumstance
- Cemeteries spruced up as Gathering Places bringing together Family & Friends
Yesterday, my Wife & I went to Loyola Memorial Marikina (LMM) to meet-up and to share meal with my Brother & Sister (and their respective Families) at the gravesite of my Mother who died Yr2002 at the old age of 84. Travelling from my Marikina House by car towards LMM, Travel Time was close to 2 hours - instead of the usual 30". I was surprised to see heavy Traffic and plenty of People on the road - considering that Nov 2 was already Day-3. True to Filipino Tradition, I pitched Tent at my Mother's Gravesite and slept overnight on Halloween Night (Oct 31st) from Yr2002 to Yr2005. However, as the 4-kms Hiking Distance (with a heavily laden BackPack) has gone farther and farther each year, I stopped sleeping overnight at Mother's Gravesite starting Yr2006 - and even more so now with my "guarded" Heart Condition.
Yesterday, I recalled my own experience of this particular Filipino Family Tradition. In the past years when I spent overnights at LMM, I would tire myself walking around the LMM Grounds exchanging smiles with Strangers - but more so, looking out for familiar faces. And I would marvel at the beautiful sight of what I would call "LMM Candlelight City" - perhaps, a faint preview of Heaven's beauty. When tired walking around, I would return to Mother's Gravesite, and while laying down inside my Tent slowly dosing off to sleep, I would fondly reminesce my Mother's Lessons-of-Life handed down to me and my Siblings.
As Cost-of- Burial in highly urbanized Metro Manila (Philippines) has become more and more expensive each year and as the Filipino Generation-of-Today has been observed to be more mobile in "permanent" residency, Cremation is becoming a popular option - given the Catholic Church's conditional acceptance. In fact, even Catholic Parishes & Catholic Religious Orders are now observed to build, to own, to manage Columbariums purposely as sacred repository for the Human Cremains.
In the Philippines on "All Saints Day", Catholic Masses are said in Churches offered by the Catholic Faithful - for the repose of the souls of their faithul departed.
To me, Family Re-Unions (at their "Dear Departed" gravesites) do tighten Family Bonds not only among the Living - but also, with the Dead. After all, isn't the Human Spirit immortal?
Source: www.articlesphere.com
