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Apart from Christmas and Holy Week, ‘Undas’ (All Souls Day / Day of the Dead) is one event Filipinos look forward to each year. These three events reunite family members and give them the chance to catch up on the lost times and commemorate something of tradition.
All Saints Day and All Souls Day are observed around the world in different ways and here in the Philippines, it has always been an interesting gathering.
Undas, or Undras for us Batangueños, is synonymous to reunion for us Pinoys. Altogether we remember our loved ones who passed away by spending some time to visit their tombs. Wait, Filipinos spend hours and even overnight in the cemetery like it’s a 24-hour camping. And if it’s camping, there has to be food (lots of it), others even play music (but some cemetery ban it), a marathon of card games (tong its, pusoy dos), and some, although prohibited, bring alcoholic beverages.
Undas also brings nostalgia to most of us. Because we’re raised to be part of this annual tradition, we have collected lots of memories from it since we were kids. And every Undas is a chance to recall all of them.
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Are you fond of making balls of melted candles? We were back then! I can still imagine how my cousins and I try to ignore how hot and hurting the melting wax feels to touch. Then our mothers would warn us with the eternal line: “Sige kayo, babalisawsawin kayo nyan!”
And there’s kalamay, sinukmani, malagkit na kanin with kibal, tamalis, and suman FTW! Hahaha. Every year, my parents are the one who patiently make tamalis to be shared to our relatives. Ever wonder why kakanin is a staple merienda for Undas? I do, too.
One thing that also hits a nostalgic note is how we all try to scare each other of ghost stories we know. My cousins, my brother, and I would oftentimes ask our parents to bring us home before the defunct ‘Magandang Gabi Bayan’ would start, since they want to stay longer in the cemetery. We always look forward to its Halloween special for some hair-raising, scary Pinoy urban legends and ghost stories.
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Despite this event being turned into a happy reunion among Filipino families, we never forget why it is an important day. It’s a day to pray for all of our departed family members and friends and to extend our love and thoughts to them.
