For many Filipinos, Undas, or All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days, is a time to come home to family and visit the dearly departed, to light candles in their memory or decorate their graves with fresh blooms.
However, not everyone can make the trip home for a number of reasons—whether it be distance, expenses, work, or something else entirely. Here are some ways to observe the tradition without leaving the city.
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Lighting candles at home
People looking to keep the tradition alive can still light candles in honor of their deceased loved ones, either at a home altar or by photos of family or friends who have passed on. One can also add flowers at the altar or by pictures.
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Attending online or TV masses
If attending church service or mass in person is not an option, attending online or tuning into mass aired on TV, and praying at home is alright, too.
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Sending messages or video-calling family members visiting the cemetery
In this age of ever-advancing and ever-present technologies, staying in touch with family has never been easier and better. People can now join their families in honoring their loved ones from home—to trade stories of fond memories with them, share all the little, meaningful details you love about them, and talk about the things you have going on in your life right now that you’d love for them to know about.
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Posting tributes online
This Undas, you can post a sentimental tribute on social media, in remembrance of the relative or friend you loved, celebrating everything that made them wonderful, or opening up about what you never got to tell them.
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Visiting the cemetery after Undas, when crowds are smaller and travel is easier
Remembering the departed can also be done before or after this annual exodus. Visiting a loved one’s final resting place can be done all year round.
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Doing something the departed loved
Cooking their favorite dish, picking up those knitting needles, or reading their favorite book—maybe even going to a spot they loved or would love, like a library or restaurant, is a good way to remember a departed loved one.
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Quiet reflection
Sometimes, simply thinking about good times spent with a departed family member or friend, maybe going through photo albums or old letters—rediscovering who they were and what they meant to you is better than visiting in person.
