What comes to your mind when you hear
the word “Halloween”?
Chocolates? Trick or Treat? Costumes?
Halloween party's? Jack-o-lantern carving? Ghost stories? Horror
movies? Or Candy Apples? These are just a few things that I associate
with American homes on Halloween.
This is my third year celebrating
Halloween in the States. My first year in 2009, I remember asking my husband “When are we going to the cemetery?”, and what did I get?
A blank, confused J Bird with a what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about
look on his face. It was such a awkward moment, one that opened my
eyes, that maybe, just maybe, they don’t do the same thing we do
back home. So that night he gave me an overview as to how they
celebrate Halloween here. Kids would show up knocking on your door
and you hand them bags of candies. He also told me to look for a
costume that I would like to wear for a friends Halloween party. But
Damn! My ass that time, it was just freezing cold, and I couldn't
force myself to go. I feel asleep on the couch waiting for trick or
treaters to show up, but duh who would dare climb up our 18 stairs to
the front door for some bag 
of candies? Probably some desperate, and
tough kids with a sugar problem (lol). So to make my funny story
short I had my first Halloween party last year. Being a Criminology
graduate, I wore a policewoman costume with J Bird as my prisoner.
And this year I was a Dark Angel and J Bird was a Vampire. I just
love the thought of living a dream for a day.
Anyhow, this article is really special
to me since this tells a lot of where I came from, the tradition and
our culture. Coming from a very religious country where the
population is at least 80% Catholic, Halloween is also one big annual
celebration, but in the Philippines we treat it more like a family
reunion. Members of the family who work away from home usually return
to spend this time of the year with the rest of the family; both the
living and the dead.(Yes you read that right! Specially the DEAD!).
From a Catholics point of view November 1st and 2nd
in the Philippines is specially dedicated to commemorate our loved
ones who have passed away. We go to the cemeteries to clean the
graves of our departed family members, repainting their tombstones,
pulling out weeds and sweeping the family plot. I remember back
before I moved, the cemetery was always packed! Hundreds of police
men would be deployed to the local cemeteries to keep the peace and
order of the place.
Some of the things we Filipinos do
during this time of the year is to offer candles, prayers and flowers
to our loved ones grave. We also bring a variety of native delicacies
such as suman, biko, puto, and a lot more. Mostly grandmas and moms
are in charge of the food, from planning the menu, to grocery
shopping and cooking. Some people set up a tent for overnight vigil
at the cemetery. This is the perfect night where grandchildren gather
around their grandma's rocking chair listening to her ghost stories;
and only grandma knew if they were real or made-up. But hey, whatever
it was, who cares we had fun (LOL!) . On a lighter note, playing
cards and other board games works perfect for kids too, while mahjong
is for adults. I remember before the law was amended, in the early
90's, the cemeteries had carnivals and some even put barricades
around the basketball court for late night Dancing! We used to pay 10
pesos ( which is about $.25) as entrance fee. The Halloween party
would usually last til 4 in the morning. It would oftentimes be
sunrise when we would leave the cemetery. After a whole night of
dancing, together with a group of friends and cousins we start
walking a long ways back home. I can still smell the aroma of hot
cocoa around the neighborhood. The smoke coming from each house,
which signifies that the moms are awake and cooking breakfast. I
think that is one of the most unforgettable moments that I will
cherish forever. Only in the Philippines!
-Love-
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