All Souls Day and the family

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO TEJIDA III Desk Editor NANETTE L. GUADALQUIVER Busines Editor CEDELF P. TUPAS Sports Editor (On Leave) RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

The way our country observes the feasts of All Saints and All Souls is something that those from other lands must consider quite unique. On these days, we not only remember with fond reminiscences our loved ones who have departed from this earth, we also have made them evolve into times for coming together, renewing family ties, and praying together for those who have gone ahead to their just rewards.

It is somehow ironic, however, that even if the Church has specified in its list of holydays the first day of November as All Saints Day, and the second as All Souls Day, since time immemorial, Filipinos have focused on November 1 as the day when they attend religious ceremonies, pray for the dead, and visit the resting places of their mortal remains. This is still the day when droves of workers, students and city dwellers head for home so they can observe the rituals their religious beliefs prescribe, and at the same time hold reunions, usually at the gravesites of those who are gone.

In recent years, changes have been introduced into the traditional All Souls Day practices. Where our ancestors only marked the day with holy masses, visits to cemeteries, bringing flowers and lighting candles, today, the yearly gravesite visits have evolved into what seem to be social gatherings, where members bring food to be shared, so they may stay longer by the tombs of their beloved dead.

This is why the government always makes allowances in the work schedules of its workers, which has also been adopted by private employers, so they can go home to their towns or cities. This is why transportation systems, be they serving on land, sea or air, provide extra trips before and after the feasts. They recognize that these days are sacred to Filipinos, and that they are also times for renewal and revival that strengthen and enhance family ties.*