Rizza Saddi
Have you ever wondered why we light candles and bring flowers to our loved ones' tomb at cemeteries during All Saints Day and All Souls Day?
Is it just so that their tomb would not look lonely and unloved, even if they are already gone?
‘Undas’ came from the Spanish word ‘honras,’ meaning honor and respect for the dead. It consists of two holidays, the All Saints Day that honors all those who have died in peace and are now united with God in heaven, while the All Souls’ Day honors those that are not yet resting in peace.
The warm light that comes from the countless candles will rise once again across the cemeteries of the country. Lighting a candle and bringing flowers is more than just a tradition, more than symbolic; it embodies hope, love, continuity, and remembrance to the loved ones that we have lost.
Behind the Flame
According to Catholics, lighting a candle in a tomb is a visible expression of a prayer. A sign of someone's hoping that the dead ones will feel their presence, and that someone still remembers them.
“We light candles because we want to make sure that no one is left behind or forgotten. We believe that not all who have died are resting in peace, so we pray for them and light candles on their behalf,” Caloocan Bishop Pablo ‘Ambo’ David said.
Those who died are still held in our memory, and they are still part of the community above the soil.
Behind the Bloom
Aside from lighting candles, people always brought different kinds of flowers, but white flowers are the most popular—it symbolizes innocence, purity, and peace.
A reminder of the beauty, and how fragile life is. It reminds us that even if life withers, it was once vibrant and full. It also symbolizes the resurrection, and the promise of a new life that we once wished.
Every petal is like one prayer, every petal that withers, we remember.
Through the warmth of the candles and the scent of the flowers, we find the language of love that even death cannot silence. A reminder that even if our loved ones are gone, each flame we light whisper a prayer, each bloom we carry holds a memory; their presence lingers in every petal, in every flicker and in every heartbeat that remembers them.
