Honoring Traditions And Remembering Loved Ones!

A unique experience of reverence and celebration with unforgettable traditions? My country is rich when it comes to traditional rituals, heartfelt tributes, and much cultural significance, not to mention that every 1st and 2nd day of November in the Philippines is known as Undas, which are All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

While these days have become holidays in my country every year, Undas also highlights the importance of remembering my loved ones who have passed away by lighting candles for them and offering prayers, cleaning and decorating their grave sites with flowers, offerings their favorite foods, and as well as visiting cemeteries and churches.

Although I have been in modern times, still I am following what I experienced when I was younger. And yes, I am guided by the various customs and traditions on November 1st and 2nd as I remember my loved ones by paying respect to my departed family members and friends. And here is how I celebrated Undas 2023.

On November 1 in the morning, I woke up early and went to the Church. I was offering prayers at the Church for All Souls and All Saints. I had prepared a white envelope wherein all the saints and souls will be written as the Apostles will read them and offer prayers to all. After church, I got the white envelopes with the names of the souls and saints so that I could offer a prayer for them when the table with offerings was already ready on the night of November 01, 2023.

And then in the afternoon, I was busy buying food and ingredients in the market so I could have some food offered at the table. I was busy preparing foods such as spaghetti, Adobo, grilled meats and fish, and more. Then I prepared rice cakes which are the kakanins of different forms such as the suman, bibingka, puto, and biko.

Until evening came, and I was still busy grilling at the lawn with my improvised griller. Funny that I am still wearing the dress I wore in church earlier as I was captured on the lawn while I was grilling some fish and meat.

I bought 2 kilos of fish of two varieties, namely the milkfish and the blue mackerel scar. I grilled them outside. And here are the first grilled fish that I had.

And when the fish were finally grilled, I grilled a slice of native chicken leg and a slice of beef. I marinated them and added a touch of Rosemary herbs. That is why while grilling them, they were so aromatic. And here are the chicken and beef that I grilled while I was on the lawn.

And of course, I have prepared a sauce with a variety of spices so that the grilled fish and meats would be more tasty as I dipped them when they were ready to eat. The savory sauce was mixed with vinegar, soy sauce, lemon, onion, and a lot of chili making this so tasty.

And when all the goodies were cooked, I placed them on the table. The foodies offered were the favorites of my loved ones when they were still alive, not to mention that I prepared spaghetti because this was once the favorite food of my late sister, erikasue.

Before having our dinner, we offered a prayer for the departed loved ones and all the angels and Saints. The foodies as our offering to them were all prepared with love although it cannot be denied that we are all missing our departed loved ones especially my late sister Erika who died in 2022 after a tragic incident. How I wish she was still alive but I just entrust everything above as she is now our Guardian Angel.

In our belief, we both have the white and black candles that symbolize both all saints and all souls in heaven. At this moment, we were all offering prayers to them. After praying, we just left the table for about fifteen minutes, and then at exactly eight o'clock in the evening, we had our dinner.

On November 02, 2023, I visited the cemeteries to light candles and offer prayers and flowers to my loved ones. The cemeteries were so crowded so it was so hard for many vehicles to park. Instead of riding a car, I simply walked going to the cemetery and captured some selfies while going there.

Yes, it was so hot but this is a sacrifice so I could have a special moment to visit gravesites. As I am going to the cemetery, I found the clouds and the sky so spectacular, so I paused for a while and got some selfies.

I first went to Camp Phillips Cemetery and then in the afternoon, I went to Alae Cemetery to visit my late grandfather, my late Uncle, and my late sister Erika.

When I arrived at the cemetery, I lit some candles as I offered a prayer to my beloved sister. As always, we had brought an offering such as flowers and her favorite foods when she was still alive.

Perhaps Undas 2023 had been so memorable to me as I honored traditions and remembered my departed loved ones in my own simple ways.

Disclaimer: All texts and pictures are my own unless otherwise stated.