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You probably noticed those scary skeletons, witches, pumpkins and other spooky stuffs peering on malls and even on house lawns as early as September. Yeah! Seems like we have imbibed (or imitated?) Western folks’ way of celebrating the “All Hallow Even” or simply known as Halloween huh? This plus trick or treats and Halloween costume parties have become the “in” thing lately. These days, I rarely hear group of kids and teens doing the pangangaluluwa unlike before.
When I was a kid, I used to join my playmates in pangangaluluwa. Pangangaluluwa by the way is almost the same with caroling. A group (usually kids) would go house to house and sing this popular verse:
“Kaluluwa’y dumaratal Sa harap ng durungawan. Kampanilya’y tinatantay, Ginigising ang may bahay. Kung kayo po’y maglilimos, dali dali po ninyong bigyan at baka po mapagsarhan ng pinto sa kalangitan. Palimos po!
We do this pangangaluluwa for like days before and after November 1 and 2. With all our improvised tambourines and flashlights, we all geared up for pangangaluluwa as early as six pm. Of course we don’t want to encounter tikbalang and aswang as we go home. Usually, the generous ones would give us five pesos and those we call “barat” would simply pretend that they are not around. For these tightfisted folks, we sing a rather funny version of this pangangaluluwa song; “kaluluwa’y kalulumpit may sinaing na malagkit, pag hindi mo ininit ay kakapit sa iyong _____” If you belong to my generation, I bet you know what to fill on the blank. (laughs)
I guess kids during our time except the rich ones; don’t know much about trick or treat unlike now. Before, we don’t have Jack ’O Lanterns, scary and sometimes fancy costumes that would awe and please homeowners. What I know about All Saints and Souls Days when I was a kid were the following: it’s time to have some fun through pangangaluluwa, time to go to cemetery, offer flowers and prayers for departed loved ones and time to indulge over a sumptuous sinukmani and suman with kalamayhati.
[tags]Halloween, Halloweening, All Saints Day, Pangangaluluwa, Song, Lyrics, All Souls Day, November Holidays, Sem break, Holiday, November, Batangas, Philippines, Cemetery, Jack o’ lantern, Candles, How do Batanguenos celebrate Halloween[/tags]
