IT'S THE SMALL THINGS
With remembering the fondest of memories oftentimes comes reminiscing them as well. And when we relive moments with our dearly beloved, we tend to become nostalgic we continue tradition so that it can be introduced and passed on to new generations. Special occasions often trigger these – whether it be birthdays, Christmas, or All Saints’ and Souls’ Day – and though it definitely takes more than a day to pay our respects, pray, and reminisce, doing so right before the holiday season, and to welcome the month of November is actually something observed worldwide.
Whether it’s the trick-or-treat that we have adapted from the United States, or the day of the dead – known as Dia de los Muertos – in Mexico and other Hispanic cultures and countries, there are always festivities of sorts in relation to celebrating our dearly beloved. Although it seems quite morbid to frame it that way and to use the term “celebrate,” that is exactly what we are doing – praying for them, remembering them, and celebrating the memories and the moments we once shared together. For those we never got to live with, we honor their memory.
Living in Mexico for two years, I was actually very fond of how seriously they take this holiday. Days leading up to the second of November was not just filled with candy and ghost busters. Families would set up an ofrenda – an altar of sorts with pictures of their beloved departed, and offerings such as their favorite food. This tradition does not only imbibe in the next generation respect their elders who have gone ahead, it introduces them to the very concept of tradition, carrying it on, for the people who have gone ahead of them as well through stories and tidbits of their lives. Here in the Philippines, we visit crypts and cemeteries to pray for those who have gone ahead of us. Whatever the case may be, the common denominator is that it is a time to gather with family – to strengthen those ties and bonds – to remember and reminisce.
May this weekend be a blessed one for you and yours. Beyond the trick or treat, the candy, the cemeteries, the traditions and for some, the vacations – may we remember our beloved departed in prayer. May we honor their memories by telling our young ones about them. May we never forget them, and may the seeds they have planted continue to grow and flourish in the years to come.