Dia de los Muertos: Day of the Dead

In the Philippines, its been tagged as Araw ng mga Patay or Day of the Dead, Undas or Todos Los Santos.


No candle to light on. No flowers to offer. No food to celebrate God's goodness to our relatives who were with our father's arms. No hugs and kisses from my family and friends. No Halloween parties to attend to. Its just me. Only me.

Credits to BakitWhy.com

It's been 2 consecutive years that I didn't celebrate this annual celebration with my family. I'm all alone. I'm in solitude. My mother forced me to go home and be with them but the sad thing is, its not my off and I don't wanna file a leave since I already have 3 days unpaid leaves. I was again jealous with my cousins, they're all present in my Tita's place. They even called me to let me envy them. Sigh* Well that's life, sometimes we need to face the reality. Reality that not all the time we are given the chance to celebrate it with them. Living a life independently entails a lot of effort and sacrifices. Effort to live life the way you want it to be. And sacrifices of being alone in combating battles and prejudices of life.

That's really LIFE. We need to face it and we should not turn our backs on it. We need to embrace it.

The annual celebration has been the tradition of every Filipino folk. They are going to cemeteries to visit their dead loved ones who were already enjoying the real paradise. People are very busy in the street going to the cemetery. Some are bringing foods and even liquors. Some are even partying. Does it mean that the celebration is no longer solemn? I believe cause its almost a festival for them and and more of a family reunion genre. Most of the tombs of the dead loved ones are decorated with flowers and candles by their families. In contrary, some would question why Filipinos are celebrating it in a joyous way, its because we people are happy people. It doesn't mean that we are happy because they passed. We are happy, its because we are pretty sure that our dead loved ones are already enjoying the real happiness in heaven.

In some places, they're celebrating it with a twist. I heard from a friend that in General Santos City, they're celebrating this memorable occasion by putting up disco boxes and party lights. In some areas in Davao City, they're also grooving to the beat of the sound. Well, does it mean that we need to enjoy the moment? Maybe partly yes.

Whatever you do, or how you celebrate it, the important thing is they're not forgotten. Offer prayers for them and always make them special by doing the things that will make them happy.

Some were given two days off to go home and celebrate it with their families. Some are glued in their respective work places. Good thing, they're compensated with a special rate of wage.

This special day for our departed loved ones is a day to commemorate and reflect that even if they already passed away, their memories will always linger in our hearts for a lifetime. 

Happy First Of November. Happy All Saints Day. Happy All Souls Day. Happy Halloween.

Always,

THOR