And so another All Souls’ Day is coming upon us. Once again the cemeteries will be jampacked with people trying to say hello to their dead. Prayers will be said by the more serious "visitors" but the nonchalant ones are more inclined to just be there for want of any other purpose than just be around. The dead will not miss them if they don't show up, they know. But a sense of guilt nags them to come. Call it mass psychology or whatever, the compulsion to be one of the crowd is felt, and there they are.
Or call it tradition too because Filipinos are hooked to the ways of their forebears. This addiction to the past may be on the conscious or subconscious level, but no matter what, tradition is a strong determinant to one's behavior on that day. That's why lighting candles is a serious concern. Tradition says lighted candles soften the suffering of the souls wherever they are. It also adds fervor to the prayers the living say for the departed.
That's why also flowers abound in the graveyard. The dead may not see them, nor savor their sweetness. But without flowers how pitiful one's resting place can be!
Plant thou no roses at my feet, says a poet as she imagines herself six feet below. She may be remembered or forgotten, and it's okay with her either way. Yet to the Filipino, it's never okay to forget the dead. For to him the dead may have lost physical presence, still they exist in forms only the heart can feel. And who can blame him? Tradition dictates the ever enduring presence of loved ones in the vicinity of memory. Faith of course keeps one's memory alive and reinforces the hope of getting united one day with the departed loved ones.
Tradition is the handmaiden of religion, they say. That's why when the time comes to remember the dead Catholics do so through the Holy Mass. And rightly so because Jesus, the Way and the Life, is himself present in the Mass. I am the Resurrection and the Life, the Lord says. As we celebrate the Mass we think of this and pray that they who have "crossed the bar" will merit the sublime experience of resurrection.
The Church of course is only too happy that Filipinos have preserved to a certain extent thesanctity of All Souls’ Day. Prayers and reflection, for one, are very much in keeping with its teachings. The "responso" ritual, for another, which consists of a brief prayer said by a priest for an individual soul followed by a sprinkling of holy water, is very much part of the religious happenings on that day. And when the young visit the resting place of their elders, does this not reflect the value of honoring one's father and mother?
At the same time the Church is not comfortable with some secular or commercial activities occurring on that day. Partying and merry-making are certainly out of place in the cemetery, yet this has been observed from time to time. Selling of services is also frowned upon but have you ever heard of priests performing "responsos" for free? And have you not observed the so-called "prayer warriors" offering to pray the Holy Rosary for a fee? Flowers and candles are not supposed to be sold right inside burial places still vendors do their thing therein even in the presence of the authorities.
All told, All Souls’ Day is still a massive social happening in this country. It affects the young and the old, but especially the old whose grip on tradition is still strong. The young ones for their part are also affected but in a manner tinged with Western influences. Halloween mentality dominates the way they celebrate the day of the dead. The souls of their forebears are forgotten in favor of portraying the antics of monsters and other scary beings.
With the inroad of Western world view into this country will our traditional way of celebrating All Souls’ Day be warped off and eventually disappear?