All Souls’ Day

The Filipino people to me is one of the most dutiful when it comes to paying respects and honoring their dead.

Every year as the season of “undas” draws near, continuous preparations and repeated alerts on television and radio are top stories in the hopes of aiding our kababayans as they travel to visit their dearly departed.

To us, visiting the dead goes beyond the yearly chore of tradition, but rather it is one of the biggest traits that truly sets the Filipino apart as visiting the dead comes with the occasion to celebrate togetherness.

Family is big for us. We see this everywhere and certainly death is not one to separate the closeness of most families as loving memories go beyond the loss of a loved one.

Ironically perhaps, visiting our departed loved ones becomes an occasion for us to celebrate the life that was once lived.

In my family for example, as I have mentioned before in my past columns, because we are part of a huge clan, more often than not we find ourselves remembering so fondly my abuela who was the known cook in the Roces family.

Stories about recipes, favorite dishes and even unruly kitchen behavior by mischievous cousins, were part of the memories we cherished with someone we all still miss to this very day.

Yet, there hasn’t been a moment that any of us ever forgot about the love and effort that were put in bringing all of us together. I am certain I am saying this about many other Filipino families who’s biggest treasure consists of the memories they spend being together.

All Souls’ Day may be a day filled with much preparation as so many of us buckle down to journey and visit our dead. But certainly, it is just one out of many other occasions that continue to bring Filipino families together.