Visita Iglesia 2015

(Source: Morgue File)

It’s that time of the year again when some Filipino Catholics celebrate (or commemorate) the passion and death of our Lord by visiting seven churches. This Lenten tradition is aptly named as Visita Iglesia, which may be translated as “Church Visit”. The  Spanish name of this tradition shows that it started during the time when the Philippines is still a colony of Spain.

I also do this Lenten tradition every year but a twist. Instead of going to actually going to 7 churches during the Lenten Season, I just post about the 7 churches that I visited in the previous months. It’s a sort of virtual Visita Iglesia.

I have an interesting mix of churches for this year’s virtual Visita Iglesia. Here’s the roll call of the 7 churches for each day of the Holy Week:

Holy Monday: San Felipe Neri Church in Mandaluyong City

Holy Tuesday: Santa Ana Church in Manila

Holy Wednesday: San Pedro Apostol Church in Vinzons, Camarines Norte

Holy Thursday: Our Lady of the Annunciation Cathedral in Catarman, Northern Samar

Good Friday: Nazareno Parish Church in Cagayan de Oro City

Black Saturday: San Narciso Church in Consolacion, Cebu

Easter Sunday: Basilica Minore de Santo Nino in Cebu City

You can see that I will post about the churches from Metro Manila, Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The three major islands of the country are well represented.

So, please join me in my virtual Visita Iglesia. Journey with me and let’s pray that our faith go stronger as we live each day of the Semana Santa.

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NOTE: Due to my being a busy Dad, I was not able to draft any Visita Iglesia post for Holy Wednesday to Easter Sunday. I hope next year that I will be able to post about 7 churches and continue my tradition of virtual Visita Iglesia.

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A Season for Saints and the Departed

I consider the current Halloween celebration as alien to the Filipino culture. I remember during my youth that Halloween is not being celebrated. There was no Halloween parties or “trick or treats”. Even scary mask is not for sale at the local sari-sari store. What we had is not a celebration but a solemn commemoration of our loved ones, who passed away.

My mother always buy candles before the month of November begins. She lights up all of those candles in the night of All Soul's Day. One candle for each of our departed love ones. One candle that stands as if  in prayer for the sake of their souls.

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(Photo by Bangin)

Many people, specifically the youth, already forgotten the importance of praying for their dead relatives. They were distracted, instead, of the Halloween noise that is being promoted by the media and big businesses. The commemoration for the dead suddenly became the celebration for the undead. Wearing costumes of monsters and evil creatures are very cool nowadays that some parents even don their babies with Devil's horn. They even have the audacity to bring the “horned” baby to Sunday mass!

A baby, gift of God to the couple, was made to wear a demonic symbol and then brought to Holy Mass! An innocent baby being shown to the Eucharistic Lord as a little demon. What an insult to Jesus Christ, who defeated the Devil by dying on the cross.

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Saints praying for the sake of those who are still in Purgatory.

My father told us a story of their “pangangaluluwa” when they were teens and still living in Bicol. They go to their neighbors houses on the night of All Saint's Day (November 1) or All Soul's Day (November 2) and sing songs for the dead. Their neighbors would either give them money or candles but some refuse to give them any thing.

Pangangaluluwa or kalag-kalag in the Visayan Language is nothing but story for me. I am yet to experience it. Unfortunately, traditions like the pangangaluluwa are dying out fast. Young people are more inclined to experience the fads imported from America than ones handed down by our ancestors.

There is a reason for the name Halloween. Hallow means holy as in “hallowed be thy Name” in the Our Father prayer. Halloween should be a hallowed occasion and not an occasion to scare people. That's why I approve of activities of some parishes that aim to bring holiness back to Halloween. One of this is Halloween Party where the people dress like their favorite saints.

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(Source: CBCP for Life)

Aren't the kids cute? 

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(Source: Holy Angels Univ FB  page)

Gore, terror, fear – these are the focus of the current Halloween Season. What was forgotten is that this season is the season of holiness and of hope. Holiness of the saints who received the so-called beatific vision and hope for those who are in Purgatory, waiting for God's call. This Halloween is the season for the saints and the departed and I hope you celebrate this season with prayers and reverence to our Lord.

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The painting on this blog post was painted by Lodovico Carracci with the title, "An Angel Frees the Souls of Purgatory".  The source is Wikimedia Commons.

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What can you say about the current Halloween celebration? Are there halloween traditions that your family or community observed when you were young? Let's talk about it by leaving a comment on the combox below.

A Filipino Tradition for the Beloved Dead

Remembering the departed loved ones is always a part of the Filipino culture. We Filipinos have deep respect for those who died. We keep their earthly belongings and sometimes still consider them part of our family here on earth. The Filipino trait of remembering the dead is made manifest during the Halloween Season, which is locally known as Undas. During this season, Filipinos flock cemeteries just to visit their departed love ones. Many people take this opportunity to go to the provinces to visit the graves of their love ones there.

The Filipino trait of remembering the dead is worthy of praise. The only sad thing is that it is being quickly forgotten as the time wore on. Instead of solemnly remembering the dead, many Filipinos use this season as another opportunity to take a long vacation or have a party. Just like what happened to Christmas and Valentines Day, the true meaning of Halloween was secularized and is just another way for businessmen to earn money from those who are riding on the bastardized version of the Halloween Season.

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The traditional way of remembering the dead is more solemn. Here is what I read from Filipino Catholicism blog about the old Undas of Filipinos:

“An old Christian customs bids us to visit the graves of our dead on All Souls’ Day or even already on the afternoon of All Saints’ Day.


In Manila this day is solemnly celebrated, yes, even very solemnly, with an oriental gaiety and colorful bustle seemingly quite irreverent and improper to occidental minds.

On All Saints Day special traffic regulations have to be put in force on the streets and lanes leading to the cemeteries…

Early in the afternoon the migration to the cemeteries already begins, but the main traffic sets in the evening after sunset, and continues throughout the entire night. The Filipinos are holding their vigil of the dead.

To be sure, they do not pray the ecclesiastical nocturns. They provide themselves with food and drink, with cakes and cookies and ice cream, and thus, by flickering candlelight, they watch the whole night at the graves of their beloved dead.”

This was the description of Undas written in the archives of SVD. Notice that the Filipinos back then doesn't just visit the departed ones in cemeteries. They hold a night vigil as one family. They stay from night of November 1 to morning of November 2. Instead of attending Halloween parties, Filipinos in the old times prefer to stay with the departed loved ones.

Another thing to notice is that visiting the graves of the dead is done in the afternoon or evening of November 1. They do not go there in the morning because November 1 All Saints' Day. November 1 is for celebrating the victory of saints against the Satan during their sojourn here on Earth.

Today, people just visit the grave of the departed love ones for few minutes or hours and then leave so they can go back to the comfort of their homes or visit the mall. Another sad thing to note is that people nowadays prefer to celebrate the secularized version of Halloween that focuses on witches, monsters, and other occult ideas. Halloween came from the word hallow  that means holy and it signifies the holiness of the season. Sadly, people nowadays prefer to celebrate the demonic symbols and the occult instead celebrating holiness.

We Filipinos believe that the departed love ones are not gone forever. They may be placed in purgatory and are paying for every sins that they made while they are living. Some of them are already with God in heaven and serving Him as His saints. It is sad that many people ignore this truth. It is sad that they can't even give just one day to pray for their dead to aid them in being pulled out of purgatory. It is sad that the focus of Halloween is business and the occult and not the holiness that God bestowed on this season.