jake
31st October 2013, 09:27
Tomorrow November 1 is All Saints Day here in the Philippines and one of the biggest holidays of the year.
Over the past few days we have been doing the annual painting and general clean up of my wife's parents and siblings gravestones. When i first moved to the Philippines i found the whole day rather strange. Over the years i have come to accept and actually think that family members gathering around their departed loved ones graves, to celebrate their lives is not a bad thing :smile:
All Saints Day is a widely celebrated religious Holiday in the Philippines very similar to the Mexican Tradition of “Día de los Muertos” or "Day of the Dead," which also includes All Souls Day.
Celebrated on November 1st, All Saints Day is a day of remembrance, a day to remember love ones that have passed away, and most importantly to pay respect to those that paved way for their families to grow.
On All Saints Day, all of the thirteen Roman Catholic churches in the Philippines hold mass and novena. A novena offers prayers for the deceased to bless and to continue to guide them out of darkness.
After the Novena, thousands of families all over the Philippines return to the cemeteries where their love ones are buried. Families decorate the tombs with candles, flowers, balloons, toys, and pictures - anything that would remind them of their love ones. Others would just repair and repaint the damage that have happened to the tomb over time, and just put simple candles in front of the tomb. Some families would have potlucks and eat and drink right beside their love ones.
The men would sing and rejoice to celebrate would the spirit of their love one because on All Saints day in the Philippines, people believe that the spirits of their love ones roam around looking after their families.
For some people All Saints day can be an emotional day remembering the pain of losing a son, a daughter, a wife, or a husband. Some families would call it a day of reflection to let the spirits of their loved ones know that even if they are gone, their memory will always stay in our hearts for eternity.
http://www.bakitwhy.com/articles/all-saints-day-philippines
Over the past few days we have been doing the annual painting and general clean up of my wife's parents and siblings gravestones. When i first moved to the Philippines i found the whole day rather strange. Over the years i have come to accept and actually think that family members gathering around their departed loved ones graves, to celebrate their lives is not a bad thing :smile:
All Saints Day is a widely celebrated religious Holiday in the Philippines very similar to the Mexican Tradition of “Día de los Muertos” or "Day of the Dead," which also includes All Souls Day.
Celebrated on November 1st, All Saints Day is a day of remembrance, a day to remember love ones that have passed away, and most importantly to pay respect to those that paved way for their families to grow.
On All Saints Day, all of the thirteen Roman Catholic churches in the Philippines hold mass and novena. A novena offers prayers for the deceased to bless and to continue to guide them out of darkness.
After the Novena, thousands of families all over the Philippines return to the cemeteries where their love ones are buried. Families decorate the tombs with candles, flowers, balloons, toys, and pictures - anything that would remind them of their love ones. Others would just repair and repaint the damage that have happened to the tomb over time, and just put simple candles in front of the tomb. Some families would have potlucks and eat and drink right beside their love ones.
The men would sing and rejoice to celebrate would the spirit of their love one because on All Saints day in the Philippines, people believe that the spirits of their love ones roam around looking after their families.
For some people All Saints day can be an emotional day remembering the pain of losing a son, a daughter, a wife, or a husband. Some families would call it a day of reflection to let the spirits of their loved ones know that even if they are gone, their memory will always stay in our hearts for eternity.
http://www.bakitwhy.com/articles/all-saints-day-philippines