01/11/2023
Remember Dante, the Mexican Xolo dog from Disney Pixar's Coco (2017)? He is the spirit guide who accompanies Miguel, the protagonist kid in the animated movie, to the world of the dead. Like the Mexicanos, the Filipinos have a strong belief that dogs can prolong life and possess strong senses if it's time to say goodbye.
The Mexicanos celebrate Día de los Mu***os (Day of the Dead) every November 1 and 2, which is Araw ng mga Patay among the Filipinos. The Bikolanos have a beautiful term for these dates: Pistang Kalag (Festival of Souls). Like the Mexicanos, the Filipinos look forward to Araw ng mga Patay to reunite with relatives and loved ones. Filipinos troop to kabisantu (Kapampangan corruption of the Spanish term campo santo or cemetery) as early as October 31. Previously, Araw ng mga Patay was fiesta feels: clans bring videoke and liquors. Because of the noise and untoward incidences, the authorities prohibited alcoholic drinks and anything that would destroy the sanctity of the cemetery.
In Coco, the Mexicano culture of offering to the dead is emphasized. The Mexicanos call it "ofrenda," which literally means 'offering' in Spanish. In fact, the Kapampangans call Araw ng mga Patay "daun," which means 'offer.' Offering during Araw ng mga Patay is more evident among the Pangasinans and Ilocanos. In Pangasinan culture, they have a black rice cake for the dead called inlubi (dudumen in Ilocano). The Ilocanos have this tradition of offering to the dead like food, fruits, and water. They call it "atang," which is observed even on ordinary days. Atang is often offered at the altar full of photographs of the departed loved ones. Every November 1, various towns in the Ilocos region have this makeshift chapel with visages of the deceased family members mounted alongside Catholic images. The Mexicanos do the same thing as observed in Coco.
In fact, our ancient gravesites are filled with grave goods we call pabaon (provision). Our culture sees kabilang buhay (literally 'the other side of life,' not really the afterlife) as a journey and we want to ensure our dead will bring with him or her necessary goods he or she may use in such a lonesome journey. The lid of the Manungul Jar, a National Cultural Treasure, is the epitome of this story: an oarsman transports through a bangka (boat) a kaluluwa (soul). In ancient times, the deceased members of the community dwelled in rocks, trees, or hedges as "anito" (good spirits) and "nuno" (literally "ancestors"). Thus, our ancestors believed they coexisted with the unseen and may still affect their lives if a spirit was offended by pointing at them, peeing everywhere, or cutting trees without permission.
It is quite surprising why nowadays Filipinos trivialize anything concerning dead people. In fact, Filipino culture in general respects the dead. Subconsciously, we teach our kids to pay reverence to nuno (ancestors) by saying "tabi-tabi po, mga apo" (excuse us, our ancestors) whenever one enters an unfamiliar place, like bushes or backyard. We reduced our nuno into maligno (Spanish for maligned spirits), which is an obvious effect of the clash between our acquainted Catholic beliefs and our ancient beliefs.
At any rate, our culture also taught us to remember our great ancestry every day by calling our great-grandparents "lolo (lola) sa tuhod" (literally 'grandparent on knee') and great-great-grandparents "lolo (lola) sa talampakan" (literally 'grandparent on sole'). This is as if reminding us that we owe our ancestors why we are here in this world, walking, thriving and enjoying life they bequeathed us far from the sufferings and struggles they endured. The Filipinos and Mexicanos devised colorful traditions for the dead so that when the time comes we are also remembered in perpetuity.
Read more about dogs as augers of life and death in Philippine culture in our book Dogs in Philippine History. Order the book via shopee.ph/dogsphi . The book is co-published by the Philippine Historical Association, Project Saysay, and Alaya Publishing.
Embamex Filipinas
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