People are busy here in the Philippines for this Halloween season, as it implies that we are in store for a long weekend. Yes, the weekend of October 29 and 30, 2022, falls on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, while the following day, October 31, 2022, is a Monday. The Palace has already announced that November 1, 2022, will be a special day off from work. This is in line with the 2022 National Holidays that were already announced.
How I spent my long weekend holiday?
My immediate family, as well as the rest of my relatives, are still grieving the loss of our beloved Aunt Bebeth. This includes both immediate family members as well as distant relatives.
On October 29, my aunt was laid to rest after having a funeral mass at Our Lady of Fatima followed by an eulogy service at the Orchard Cemetery.
Even though we are still in a state of mourning, after the interment, our friends, family, and other loved ones came together to create a group picture as a way to commemorate the positive outcome of the day. It is so extremely difficult to lose someone you love so much, but you need to go on, and you still need to be grateful for all of the aid and love that you get from everyone.
As usual, after internment what comes next is to make the "PAGPAG", a traditional Filipino belief, wherein you have to go to another place, like malls, market, or church, before going home. In our case, we went to Abreeza Mall to make PAGPAG.
After our quick snack at S&R Abreeza, we went to the house of my mother's older sister, Auntie Mely, because my mother want to stay with her for a bit.
The following day, October 30, I remained at home and completed housework. I spent the entire day watching Korean dramas and napping in between.
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| The Golden Spoon |
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| Blind |
And have a recap watching this series, EXchange Season 2.
The next day, Oct. 31, I went to the house of Auntie Mely to fetch my mother.
November 1 is All Saints Day, so I stayed in our house and offered prayer to all the saints.
Why do we celebrate All Saints Day? Our conviction in the communion of saints is reaffirmed every time we recite the Apostles' Creed. Members of the communion of saints are people of both sexes who have put their faith in Jesus Christ and been reborn as his sons and daughters through the sacrament of baptism.The communion of saints includes both those who are alive and those who have passed away, regardless of whether they are currently in heaven with God or going through a purification process. Saint Dominic made the following statement just before passing away: "Do not mourn, for I shall be more useful to you after my death, and I will serve you more effectively than during my life." During the Solemnity of All Saints, we have the opportunity to not only pray to our most revered saints but also to our ancestors and other loved ones who, in our faith, are now at peace with God.
It is a Holy Day of Obligation, so many people make it a point to attend Mass on the Solemnity of All Saints. This is a wonderful tradition and practice associated with this holiday here in the Philippines. When we attend Mass, we do something special to remember the saints, and that something is the Eucharist. Other customs associated with this day include reading and studying about the saints, praying to the saints—particularly one's confirmation saint—and asking for their intercession so that we, too, could become saints. Finally, there are some good and wholesome movies about saints. THE MESSENGER: Joan of Arc, and The Song of Bernadette are some of my favorite classic movies, and they all center on saints in some way.
The 2nd of November, known as All Souls' Day, is a unique working holiday here in my country. This means that offices and classrooms will be open, and there will be no additional remuneration for employees who report to work.
Though some have already reported for work and schools are open to start their classes, there are some others who opted out for work, especially those who have their UNDAS vacation in their provinces.
People continue to honor All Souls Day by paying a visit to the graves of their lost loved ones. In contrast, our family's All Souls Day ritual consists of staying at home and lighting a candle in remembrance of our lost relatives and loved ones, as we adhere to various religious views.
This two-day celebration is a cultural and religious event in the Philippines, a largely Catholic nation. The first of November is a holiday, whereas the second is not.
So, that sums up how I spent my long holiday weekend. How about you? How do you celebrate this occasion?
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