04/11/2023
"𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐫𝐚𝐫/𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐫𝐚𝐬" that means "To honor/Honors" and "𝐔𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐝𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬 𝐌𝐮𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐨𝐬" which translates to "Day of the dead", a Spanish verb and a term which were believed to be the origin of the word we know now as "Undas". The Filipinization of Saints and Souls Day can be seen not only in the language but also in the way it is celebrated, which has remained unchanged since World War II (according to The Cenacle Missionary October-November 1941 Issue).
In contrast to international practices, Filipinos tend to celebrate Saints Day and Souls Day interchangeably, making it a two-day celebration of both. Every November 1st and 2nd, families gather and flock memorial parks and cemeteries to celebrate Undas. Often holding vigils at the graves of their dearly departed loved ones, sharing meals and of course the "hindi mamataymatay na combo" which includes some the most famous Filipino kakanin every celebration namely suman, biko and binignit, benegnet, binegnit, BNGNT basta mao nana oy 😪.
One contemporary addition to the celebration is the inclusion of Halloween activities (which is actually celebrated on October 31 🤣 Hay Pinoys 🤣) organizing Costume parties and contests, trick-or-treating and some parlor games to make the celebration more colorful and enjoyable for the families. And while the celebration varies from place to place, the honoring of the tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation remains unchanged.
Welp, daming ebas hahaha if you just want to look at the photos you can just skip the long and boring caption above and enjoy this photoset. (Taken at Palmhaven Memorial Park, Tagum City, Davao del Norte)
Sony A6300 | Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD