Philippine Travel Tips: Fiesta for the Dead? Only in the Philippines
by: Ronan Vergara
I am writing in advance so in case you plan to visit this November, you can already foresee what you are going to see.
Being Orientals, the Filipinos commemorate “Araw ng Mga Patay” (November 1) in a very colorful fashion. As a child, I recalled tagging along with my friends to sing the “Pangangaluwa” (a folk song about souls asking for alms) in front of households on evenings prior to November 1. We’d get coins, and if we’re lucky, some “suman” (glutinous rice cake) as a reward for singing. So, this is typically the same as the Western “Trick or Treat”, except that we don’t wear fancy Halloween costumes that make us cute instead of scary. Due to the American influence in the country, Trick or Treat is also practiced, especially in malls and posh villages. Unfortunately, the “Pangangaluluwa” tradition is dying already at the onset of modernization, but the tradition of visiting the dead during November 1 remains one Filipino trademark
All Saints Day is a venue for reunions in the Philippines. The typically silent cemetery booms to life as thousands, even millions, of people flock and meet their relatives, both living and dead. Food and drinks overflow, but liquor is banned to prevent any alcohol related violence in the crowded cemeteries. Stories alongside fits of laughter are exchanged amidst the fiesta atmosphere. Some Filipinos even turn instant entrepreneurs in selling food, cleaning tombs, and gathering melted candle wax (Yes, there’s profit even in candle drippings!).
Do you want to share the same experience? Then come home.
With the swell of people, you got to find the best place to stay temporarily. If you’re coming over Novaliches, Quezon City area, you may opt to reside temporarily in the fully furnished apartments in the city. A good number of apartments there offer short term rentals, so you would definitely have a place to stay as you celebrate this one of a kind Filipino tradition.
I am writing in advance so in case you plan to visit this November, you can already foresee what you are going to see.
Being Orientals, the Filipinos commemorate “Araw ng Mga Patay” (November 1) in a very colorful fashion. As a child, I recalled tagging along with my friends to sing the “Pangangaluwa” (a folk song about souls asking for alms) in front of households on evenings prior to November 1. We’d get coins, and if we’re lucky, some “suman” (glutinous rice cake) as a reward for singing. So, this is typically the same as the Western “Trick or Treat”, except that we don’t wear fancy Halloween costumes that make us cute instead of scary. Due to the American influence in the country, Trick or Treat is also practiced, especially in malls and posh villages. Unfortunately, the “Pangangaluluwa” tradition is dying already at the onset of modernization, but the tradition of visiting the dead during November 1 remains one Filipino trademark
All Saints Day is a venue for reunions in the Philippines. The typically silent cemetery booms to life as thousands, even millions, of people flock and meet their relatives, both living and dead. Food and drinks overflow, but liquor is banned to prevent any alcohol related violence in the crowded cemeteries. Stories alongside fits of laughter are exchanged amidst the fiesta atmosphere. Some Filipinos even turn instant entrepreneurs in selling food, cleaning tombs, and gathering melted candle wax (Yes, there’s profit even in candle drippings!).
Do you want to share the same experience? Then come home.
With the swell of people, you got to find the best place to stay temporarily. If you’re coming over Novaliches, Quezon City area, you may opt to reside temporarily in the fully furnished apartments in the city. A good number of apartments there offer short term rentals, so you would definitely have a place to stay as you celebrate this one of a kind Filipino tradition.
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