Features
Featured People and Communities
Binding the living
By Perlita M. Pacyaan
Teacher, Bun-ayan Elementary School
Sabangan, Mountain Province
All Saints’ Day is not just for the anitos (spirits of the dead). In Sabangan, Mountain Province, All Saints’ Day is also a day of feast.
The day to remember departed loved ones gives us a chance to reunite and bond with our families and friends. Relatives who now reside and work in the city even take a couple of days off to come home to Mountain Province and attend the celebrations. These celebrations have become part of our tradition and have helped develop strong family ties.
As part of the tradition, we go to church with our blessed candles on the first day of November. During the mass, the long list of the names of the departed is read. After the mass, we immediately proceed to the cemetery and pray for the souls of our loved ones. We also light candles and bless the tombs with holy water. We see to it that all the graves have candles. If the neighboring tomb has no candle yet, it is one’s duty to put a light a candle for it. This is a clear manifestation of inayan – our norm for what should or should not be done.
It is also our practice to go from house to house and bless the tombs which are not placed in the cemetery.
After these ceremonies, everybody is invited to take part on the feasts prepared by different families. Native delicacies are served in these feasts. The tapey (rice wine) is always present. Pinikpikan, a dish made of native chicken, is the favorite dish. We painstakingly cook and prepare all the dishes because we believe that our departed loved ones will visit us and partake in the eating and merrymaking.
Indeed, our anitos bind the living. They unite the families and the community. This is how we celebrate All Saints’ Day. This is our tradition.
(Published 17 November 2008, Smart Communications, Inc.)
