Undas 2011: The Calambe

All Saint's Day or Todos Los Santos or Undas in the vernacular is one of most celebrated holidays in the Philippines. Some people think that it's even bigger than Christmas because it's the only day where family members would go back to their hometown to pay respects for their dead relatives. Some families would even start their preparation one or two weeks ahead by cleaning the family plot (or Mausoleum for the well-to-do), doing some paint job, a little gardening and cooking suman and other kakanin to be brought to the cemetery come November 1. On the day itself, families go to the graveyards, lit candles and bring flowers for the dead, bring some food (usually suman and kakanin) for the living and spend the whole day at the cemetery.

As for me, I spent my Undas, with childhood friends, in Lecheria, Calamba, Laguna - something that I havent done for quite sometime. Below are some of the pictures we have taken.

Governor ER Ejercito, giving free bottled water to the Calambenos who visited the cemetery

Filipino Custom on Death, Loss and Grieving

Once a Filipino dies, it is traditional to hold a wake. Deceased men are dressed in the traditional barong tagalong while women are dressed in terno or their best dress. Traditionally, the immediate family of the deceased wears black but nowadays, I can see family members wearing white during the wake and the funeral itself.

Libing (Funeral) is like a big family reunion for the Filipinos. Relatives from all over the country (and even those outside the country) are expected to attend the wake and funeral of the deceased. People are expected to come together and grieve in groups rather than do so privately. Family and friends are also expected to come forward to support then grieving family and not doing so is considered an offense.

Filipinos judge the life and stature of the deceased by the number of people gathered for the wake or funeral and it is customary to discuss the life and accomplishments of the deceased during the wake.

Flowers are often given in condolence to the family, with a message of condolences written on a ribbon attached to the bouquet of flowers (we call it corona ng patay). Family members and friends, keep vigil, pray, eat, talk and socialize with guests, offering food and refreshments to those mourning with the family.

After the death of a person, a nine-day period of having novena of prayers and masses offered for the deceased is held – we locally call it PASIYAM.

After the pasiyam comes the 40-day mourning period following the belief that Jesus Christ’s ascended to heaven after the said period of days. A mass is held at the end of this period and in some instances that family of the deceased also offer some food and refreshment to those who attended the occasion.

Sagada Hanging Coffins and Lumiang Burial Caves

How about carving your own coffin? In present times, it is very unusual. We have ready-made coffins, funeral homes, life insurance and social security system that would take care of us in this life or otherwise. All you have to do is die and leave all your funeral details to other people. But for the people of Sagada, that is the only way to go. The elderly carve their own coffins from hard wood and if you’re too ill to do it yourself, your son or other family members has to do it for you.

Sagada is a 5th class municipality in the Mountain Province of Northern Luzon and is famous for Bokong and Bomod-ok Falls, Rice Terraces, Echo Valley, Kiltepan Tower, Underground River, Lake Danum, and most especially the burial sites - the Sumaging Hanging Coffins and the Lumiang Burial Cave.

This ancient custom of hanging the coffins of loved-ones against the surrounding cliffs in Sagada was already more than 2000 years old tradition. It is no longer a common practice among modern-day Sagadans though, given the fact that the latest addition to the hangings coffins was placed there last June 2008. From, the viewing site, one can see hundreds of hanging coffins. As mentioned, the elderly carve their own coffins then ropes and wooden scaffoldings are used to hang the coffins. This custom has been traced from the natives’ belief that the higher the burial site, the nearer it is to heaven and it would be much easier for the soul of the departed to meet its maker and the anitos. Another reason, and a more practical one is to avoid the desecration of the body by animals and robbers alike.

In death a Sagadan is bound into a chair (Sangadi) during the wake period. The pre-burial feast includes dirges and animal sacrifices particularly a boar or a pig. The wake may last for several days depending on the wealth of the family. The body is wrapped with a burial cloth so that the spirits may recognize the dead and be invited into the spirit world. The body is also smoked through to prevent early decomposition. One would notice that the size of the coffin is smaller than the usual height of a person. This is because when placed inside the coffin, the dead is being forced into a fetal position. The Sagadans believes that people should pass through this world just the way they got in.

The funeral march starts at dawn and the family of the deceased would take turns in carrying the coffin. The elders would encourage people to participate because of the belief that spilling bodily fluids, like blood for instance, of the deceased to a person’s clothing would bring good luck and strength to the person.

This travel blog photo's source is TravelPod page: Taking it easy in Sagada

Aside from the cliffs, the burial cave is also a good option for the locals of Sagada. The Lumiang Burial Caves housed at least 200 coffins that have been there for 500 years. The funeral procession is being lead by torch bearers whose responsibility is to ensure that no birds, rats, chickens or snakes cross the path of the procession as it is considered a bad omen. Bad omen would mean finding another burial ground for the departed. Some of the coffins’ lids also bore the carvings of the lizard or gecko, the Sagadans’ symbol of fertility and longevity. It means that the person who owns the coffin is one of the elders or an esteemed leader.

Underground Cemetery - Nagcarlan, Laguna

The underground cemetery of Nagcarlan, Laguna is one of the items in my "must-see list". It's quite unusual for tourists to visit an underground crypt but this Spanish-era resting place is one of the spots frequented by tourists not just because of its very unique location and architecture but its historical significance as well.

The "Underground cemetery was built 1845 by a Franciscan Missionary, Father Vicente Velloc. It was built inside or more accurately beneath the church since it was constructed 15 feet below.

This cemetery is rich in history because it served not only the final resting place of Filipinos from affluent Catholic families, it also became the secret meeting place of of Filipino Patriots throughout our fights against our colonizers.

It's underground location is the perfect meeting place for the Katipuneros during the Fil-American war and a safe house for Filipino Guerillas during World War II

The NationalHistorical Institue declared the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery as a National Landmark in June 1978.

At present, regular mass are not being held in the church anymore aside from special occasions such as Holy Week and Todos Los Santos.

Clark Veteran's Cemetery (Angeles City, Pampanga)

Yesterday, I accompanied a special someone to Bruno’s – the more masculine version of our usual and traditional salon. He had a his hair cut, hair color, facial, massage and who knows what else; it took two hours before his stylist let him go.

Gone were the days where the guys would only go to the salon for a haircut and that’s it, guys now are even more vein than us girls. And before I forget, he had a pedicure earlier courtesy of whoelsebutme. I was so nervous doing that, I don’t actually trust myself when it comes to having my own nails done, let alone doing it for someone else. But to my credit, I only heard him say “Ouch!” twice.

Yeah, he is more vain than I am and I adore him more for that. He looks so cute with a steamer in his head. I actually wanted to take his picture. But I’m not sure if he’ll let me. But anyways, while I was waiting for him, I happened to browse on some architectural magazine that features some old cemeteries in the Philippines, most of them on the southern part of the country.

I am always fascinated with cemeteries. I remember as a young girl, I used to visit one in particular, bring some flowers for the graves of people I don’t know. I would often wonder about the story of the person buried in that plot.

I find cemeteries interesting, mysterious and peaceful even. One can just imagine how many lessons, stories and anecdotes the “permanent residents” can tell us – if only the dead can talk.

So I decided to do some research. So where to start? Since I am in Angeles, I decided to google some of the city’s well-known “resting places” and one in particular caught my attention: The Clark Veterans’ Cemetery. According to a website on the park’s restoration commission, this particular cemetery is not state funded so the people behind it is finding ways to have it restored and taken care of. Which I think is just the right thing to do, given the fact that most soldiers who were interred there were taken away from their families and loved ones from the states, were shipped here in the Philippines and met their untimely death here. Most of them probably were not seen again by their loved ones.

So I checked on the interment section of the site and look for the people who were buried there and this have caught my attention.

Ralph Waldo Corliss Jr. – dependent of Ralph W. Corliss USAF
Infant son of Preciolita V. Corliss and Ralph W. Corliss who was then stationed in Clark field and died of a tragic accident in 1957. He died just outside Clark’s main gate when his jeep was struck by an on-coming train. His wife tried to sue the Manila Railroad Company but the lower court ruled the accident as a miscalculation on the Soldier’s part. Ralph’s body was flown back to the US and later that year, his wife gave birth to the son, who also died and was buried at Clark Veteran’s Cemetery.

I find this story tragic and disturbing. The couple married in 1957 when he was 21 and she was 19. At the time of Ralph’s death, Preciolita was pregrant with their son. What caused of the son’s death is unknown but loosing a husband and a child in a matter of months is unimaginable.

Aside from the tragic stories of the soldiers that were buried in Clark’s Veteran’s Cemetery, the Cemetery itself may face a tragic fate without the help of concerned groups.

Clark Veterans Cemetery was consigned to oblivion in 1991, when Mount Pinatubo's gigantic eruption forced the U.S. to abandon the sprawling air base surrounding it. Most of the grave markers have been half-buried for 20 years, and there is little hope that the volcanic ash obscuring names, dates and epitaphs will be cleared any time soon.

As Vietnam War veteran and ex-Navy officer Robert Chesko said, “It’s the veteran’s cemetery that America forgot”