• There are many ways Filipinos observe All Saints and All Souls Days, the most popular of which is visiting the tombs of the dearly departed.
• In Ilocos, a plate of ‘atang’ food is prepared to remember the dead.
• A delicacy from Pangasinan is prepared from twilight to morning.
• In Sagada, instead of lighting candles, the locals light pinewood beside the tombs because it can withstand the strong wind in the mountain town.
With All Saints Day and All Souls Day just a few days away, Filipinos are preparing to observe
the traditions that show remembrance for departed relatives.
Large crowds are expected to fill the cemeteries and memorial parks around the country on those
days after being kept away from performing the traditions related to the observance of “Undas”
for two years because of the pandemic restrictions. (The word “Undas” is a Filipino term for Dia de Todos Los Santos or All Saints Day.)
A well-known tradition is the gathering of families around the tombs of their dead relatives. Naturally there will be food for the living, and also for the dead.
Food to remember the dead
Here are two usual foods that appear on All Saints and All Souls Days and are prepared as a gesture to remember the departed relatives:
The first is known as “atang,” which is a plate full of different kinds of rice cake, such as suman, dudul, and linapet. The National Museum website said that “atang” is a practice in the Ilocos region to remember the dead.
Aside from that, “atang” is also used in an appeasement ritual every time a person suffers from unexplained sickness believed to be caused by bad spirits. A healer will invite the spirits to partake in the offering, and ask them to relieve the patient of the illness, a ritual listed in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) page.
When offering food for the dead, “atang” can be accompanied by busi or caramelized popped rice; linga or black sesame seeds; sticky rice with coconut milk; and bagas or uncooked rice shaped in a crucifix with fresh eggs on top. The whole plate may also include bua ken gawed or betel nut and piper leaf; apog or lime powder; basi or fermented sugarcane wine; and tobacco, according to the National Museum of the Philippines website.
It is expected that plates of “atang” will be placed in front of the graves during All Souls and All Saints Day.
The second food cooked during All Saints and All Souls Days is a delicacy originating from Pangasinan, a sweet black rice cake called “inlubi.” It is made from burnt glutinous rice called deremen, that is only harvested towards the end of October and is prepared during twilight and left to cook during the night, according to reports.
"Inlubi"
There is a logical reason why it is done during the night. The process of turning rice into deremen is a tedious one — it involves a lot of burning and pounding — thus the most ideal time to cook it is at night when the temperature is cooler, reports said.
There are other practices that are performed during those special days for the dead. Some are documented while many have come from the simple gathering of family when there is more time to tell stories about the past, especially about those who have gone ahead. Thus, the practice of telling family stories have also evolved among the older generation, while telling ghost stories have come from the younger members of the family.
Naturally, the tombs will be decked with flowers and lighted by many candles all throughout the day and night. That is a symbol, many believe, of the departed person’s endearing qualities that have made his or her memory linger on to inspire the living relatives to bring flowers and candles to their tombs.
Burning brightly at the tombs in a cemetery within St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church in Sagada, Mountain Province during All Saints' Day. (PNA)
Pinewood fire
In Sagada, Mountain Province, instead of candles, the locals remember the dead by lighting old pine wood (saeng). The tradition is called “panag-apoy” a term that means “to light a fire.” The reason is simple: pinewood can withstand the strong winds in that mountain town.
The tradition starts with an afternoon mass on Nov. 1 where the blessing of the wood is done. After that, the locals proceed to the cemetery to light the pinewood while the priest blesses the tombs, according to the website of Tourism Philippines.
The Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Sagada has issued an advisory on the conduct of the All Saints and All Souls Days rituals in the local cemetery. Church service starts at 3 p.m. and the burning of the “saeng” near the graves of the departed starts around 4 p.m. and will go on till about 7 p.m.
The “panag-apoy” is a way of bringing families together while commemorating the passing of their loved ones. It is a solemn moment that allows them to come together and peacefully remember their relatives’ departed spirits, the church advisory said.
It also reminded the public that the “panag-aapoy” is not a tourist attraction nor a festival, but a traditional practice to honor the dead.
“It is a private event, not arranged by the local government but by the people who just happen to be observing a practice. Nobody gives a signal when it will be done, but is just done by the people,” Mayor Felicito Dula told Philippine News Agency (PNA). (Clarissa Garcia and Timothy Gacura)