Family remembrance customs pass between generations
Nestor Castro, an anthropology lecturer at the University of the Philippines Diliman, said Undas gatherings foster and solidify kinship relationships. Thousands of Filipinos flocked to cemeteries across Manila on Sunday, Nov. 1, to visit the graves of loved ones and mark All Saints’ Day through the tradition known locally as Undas. The observance has brought families together for generations, and its name comes from the Spanish word “honras,” meaning “honors.”
Lorita Santos visited the resting places of her father and three other relatives. Her family offered flowers and candles, prayed together and shared snacks, while the visits gave relatives an opportunity to tell stories about those who had died. “Just because they have passed away does not mean we should forget them,” Santos said.
One of Santos’s memories was her father giving his children and grandchildren small gifts every payday. “We will never forget that,” she added. Santos grew up visiting relatives’ graves even outside All Saints’ Day and is now teaching her children to do the same. “We pass this on to our children to make sure they are aware of the tradition, so that if something happens to us, they know what to do,” Santos said.
Mike Mamaril, a 42-year-old school maintenance employee, visits his parents’ graves in a custom passed down from his grandparents. He said he makes time for the annual visit even though he rarely gets another opportunity to go. The gatherings also give family members a chance to reminisce about his mother and father, including lighter moments of his childhood. “We always talk about who among us got scolded the most,” Mamaril said.
Castro said death in Filipino culture is not only a time to honor those who have passed away but also an occasion that brings families together. During funeral wakes, Castro said, families wait for relatives living far away to arrive before burying their loved ones. “That’s when family reunions occur. It’s a binding event.” That sense of togetherness also extends to Undas. Sticky rice cakes are often shared for the occasion, their sticky texture symbolizing the bonds between relatives.
Undas encompasses All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, Nov. 1 and 2. It is rooted in Catholic observances but also incorporates beliefs and customs that predate Spanish colonization, according to Castro. “There is a very long tradition of ancestor worship in the Philippines,” he said.
Long before the Spanish arrived, Filipinos honored ancestral spirits known as anito by offering food and other gifts to the dead. Castro said those practices were not tied to a particular date and instead formed part of a broader tradition of ancestor veneration. The tradition evolved after the Spanish arrived in 1565 and introduced Catholicism and new religious practices, some of which may have come from Mexico.
The Philippines and Mexico have historical ties dating back to Spanish colonial rule, when the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade connected them for centuries. Today, both countries have similar customs for honoring the dead and remembering loved ones. In Mexico, many families spend a day or night at their loved ones’ graves or set up altars at home. The occasion is a joyful one filled with marigolds, music and food.
Similar customs are observed in other countries with strong Catholic traditions, including Bolivia, Poland and Hungary, where families gather to honor their dead with flowers, candles and prayers.
Hernández reported from Beijing. Associated Press said its religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.