MANILA – Although her father has passed away, Lorita Santos continues to carry their shared memories with her.
On Sunday, she joined thousands of Filipinos who visited cemeteries throughout Manila to pay respects to departed family members as the country observed All Saints’ Day.
Known in the Philippines as Undas, the observance has brought families together for generations to remember and honor their dead. Its name is believed to come from the Spanish word “honras,” or “honors.”
Santos visited the graves of her father and three other relatives, saying their deaths had not erased their place in the family’s memory.
Her family observes Undas by bringing flowers and lighting candles. They pray together, share food and spend time remembering their loved ones.
The cemetery visits also give relatives a chance to exchange stories. Santos especially recalls her father’s habit of giving small presents to his children and grandchildren whenever payday came around.
“That is something we will always remember,” she said.
Santos was brought to relatives’ graves as a child, including on days other than All Saints’ Day. She now hopes to instill the same practice in her own children.
“We teach this tradition to our children so they understand it. That way, if something happens to us, they will know how to continue it,” Santos said.
How ancestor veneration became part of Catholic tradition
Observed on Nov. 1 and 2 as All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, Undas combines Catholic rituals with beliefs and customs that existed in the Philippines long before Spanish colonization.
“The Philippines has a very long history of honoring ancestors,” said Nestor Castro, an anthropology lecturer at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
Before the arrival of the Spanish, Filipinos honored ancestral spirits called anito by presenting food and other offerings to the dead. Castro said these customs were not confined to a specific calendar date but reflected a wider practice of venerating ancestors.
Those practices changed and blended with new religious traditions after the Spanish arrived in 1565, bringing Catholicism and customs that may have been introduced through Mexico.
The Philippines and Mexico remained connected for centuries through Spanish colonial rule and the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade. That shared history helps explain why both countries have traditions centered on honoring the dead and remembering family members who have passed away.
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In Mexico, families may spend hours or an entire night at a loved one’s grave, or build an altar at home. The observance is often marked by marigolds, music and food in a festive atmosphere.
Other predominantly Catholic countries, including Bolivia, Poland and Hungary, have similar practices, with relatives gathering to offer flowers, light candles and pray for the dead.
Undas brings Filipino families closer across generations
For Filipinos, death is not simply an occasion to mourn or honor those who have died. It is also a moment that reunites families, Castro said.
At funeral wakes, families often delay the burial until relatives living far away can return, he explained. “That is when family reunions happen. It is an event that binds people together.”
That sense of togetherness also extends to Undas. Sticky rice cakes are often shared for the occasion, symbolizing the bonds between relatives through their sticky texture.
“These events foster and solidify kinship relationships,” Castro said.
For Mike Mamaril, a 42-year-old school maintenance employee, visiting his parents’ graves is a custom passed down from his grandparents. He said he makes time for the annual visit, even though he rarely gets another opportunity to go.
The gatherings are also a chance to reminisce about his mother and father, including the lighter moments of his childhood.
“We always talk about who among us got scolded the most,” Mamaril said.
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Hernández reported from Beijing.
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