Undas has officially begun today. If you’re reading this, you’re probably in the car headed to the cemetery to pay your respects to loved ones who’ve passed.
The first two days of November (All Saints Day and All Souls Day) are important for Filipinos because this is a time to gather family and pray for the dead. It’s also tradition to camp out or spend all day in the cemetery with relatives you haven’t seen in a while.
We don’t mean to state the obvious but undas is one event where you have to be mindful of your actions. A wrong move will not only get you in trouble with family, you’ll also disrespect those who have passed and the people around you. You wouldn’t want that.
As a last-minute reminder, here are some things you should avoid doing during undas:
Littering
This is self-explanatory. As much as possible, bring reusable containers and utensils to lessen waste. Also bring a trash bag just in case so you don’t leave a mess at the cemetery, especially if there are other families next to your spot.
Stealing from other graves
Bring your own offerings to your loved ones. They don’t have to be real flowers—you can opt for paper ones if you’re creative. You can also place your loved ones’ favorite food on their tombstones.
Making fun of people
We all deal with grief and sadness in different ways, so we should empathize with others who are still coping with loss. It’s very insensitive to laugh at them while they cry and/or pray to their loved ones. Just because you deal with grief differently doesn’t mean you can be mean to others.
Unnecessary hugot
We’re already seeing a lot of people using undas for their hugot posts. While some of them are witty, there are cringey ones that are self-serving and done to get engagement on social media. Remember: Undas isn’t about you and your viral post unless you’re sharing something that raises awareness and benefits a lot of people. Otherwise, keep your “dead people” hugot quote to yourselves.
Photo courtesy of Pexels
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