Celebrating the Day of the Dead in the Philippines

Cathedral at San Fernando Pampanga

I went home to the province of Pampanga for the Day of the Dead (Araw ng mga Patay / Ing Aldo ning Mete). I haven't been home in a while.


Municipal Hall at San Fernando, Pampanga

At the market stalls in front of the Cathedral, my mom and I bought mums and baby's breath flowers. We were able to get 2 dozen calla lilies for P40 ($1.20). Not bad. My mom really knows how to get a bargain. I used to sell the same kind of flowers at this very market when I was a kid alongside my Mama Let. She was a market vendor who sold different merchandise per season. I am getting these flowers for her grave.

These white mums are P300 (around $6)  but you can buy them at P20 ($50 cents) per stalk which would have around 4-5 floral buds.

We got the ferns, palm leaves, birds of paradise and orchids from our garden. The flower bed belonged to my dead gay uncle, so its just apt that he gets the flowers he cared for when he was still alive.

Hope this is pretty enough. We got these nice coconut weave baskets with banana stalks to pierce the flowers in. I had the kids make the ribbons.

We went to the cemetery by nightfall. It was very crowded and hot. Everyone seemed have fun nibbling on something- watermelon seeds, popcorn, mangoes and balut (boiled duck egg fetus).

Cowcow and Grandma Cow. He's complaining about the mosquitoes and he wants more popcorn and scramble (flavored crushed ice).

The family gravestone- my Mama Let, my fabulous gay uncle Marciano and my grandparents who died when I was very young.

A nearby gravestone- My macho uncle Cristino and his son, Jaycel who died of cancer at age 31.

Tomorrow its off to the old public cemetery to visit my other dead relatives. 

The Public Cemetery of Santo Domingo

Its 7am and people are heading off to the old public cemetery. The cemetery of Santo Domingo, Minalin in the province of Pampanga has been around since the 1800s.

I got CowCow and my nephew Dadi to tag along. 

Some burial grounds are re-used (err... recycled?). The sepulturero (gravedigger) removes old bones to give way as new burial spots. Bones that are abandoned by families or whose whole clans are long dead end up in a mass grave.

So it would be very rare to find a 18th century marker now, since some families would have several bones share one headstone. Those who feel they are now far removed from their great, great, great grandparents opt to bury all the family bones together. The headstone would then be marked with the death date of the recently deceased or all of the names of the dead family members. 

Most of the graves have fresh coats of paint.

A very personalized headstone, handwritten with a marker.

These are called Condominiums by the locals.

CowCow looks at Kuya Dadi as he lights a candle.

I had Dadi light the candles at the topmost grave. Out of kids' reach. Some boys would collect the melted candles way too early and sell it as floor wax. This is okay, but they just have to wait after the holiday. People light votive candles as offerings and prayers for the dead.

The family burial plot: My uncle, aunt, cousin and nephews.

Happy Halloween from CowCow!

November 1 means a time to remember departed loved ones in the Philippines. Filipinos travel out to the provinces just for this occasion. As families gather in cemeteries to offer prayers and bring flowers and light candles for the dead. Most would stay till dawn for chitchat, some nostalgia or merriment or even just to keep the dead company.

Hope everyone had a really scary Halloweenie! and festive Todos Los Santos! (Feast of All Saints).