Cemeteries across the Philippines glow with flickering candles and the hum of quiet prayers as the calendar turns from October to November. Families gather to honor loved ones who have passed away, cleaning tombs, lighting candles, and sharing food. This yearly ritual, known as Undas, is both a solemn remembrance and a family reunion. It is also part of a much older story that stretches back to ancient Europe โ the origins of Halloween, All Saintsโ Day, and All Soulsโ Day.
Ancient Beginnings: The Celtic Festival of Samhain
Before Christianity spread across Europe, the Celts of Ireland and Scotland celebrated Samhain (pronounced Sow-in) on October 31. It marked the end of harvest and the start of winter, a season they believed blurred the line between the living and the dead.
During Samhain, people lit bonfires, wore masks, and left food offerings to appease wandering spirits. The Celts feared that the souls of the dead might return to cause mischief or seek warmth, and these rituals were meant to keep them at peace.
When Christianity reached Celtic lands in the 7th century, the Church sought to replace local pagan customs with Christian celebrations, not by suppression but by transformation.
Churchโs Response: Sanctifying the Calendar
In 609 A.D., Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Roman Pantheon to the Virgin Mary and all Christian martyrs, establishing a day to honor them. Two centuries later, Pope Gregory IV moved this commemoration to November 1 and expanded it to include all saints โ both known and unknown.
The day before, October 31, became known as All Hallowsโ Eve, the vigil before All Saintsโ Day. Over time, this name evolved into Halloween.
A century later, St. Odilo of Cluny, a French abbot, introduced All Soulsโ Day on November 2 โ a day dedicated to praying for all the departed, especially those believed to be undergoing purification in purgatory.
Together, these three observances โ All Hallowsโ Eve (October 31), All Saintsโ Day (November 1), and All Soulsโ Day (November 2) โ formed what was known as the Triduum of All Hallows, a sacred time linking the living and the dead through prayer and remembrance.
From โSoulingโ to โTrick-or-Treatingโ
In medieval Europe, Christians observed these days with customs such as โsoulingโ, where the poor went door to door offering prayers for the dead in exchange for small cakes. Children later began dressing in costumes and performing songs or simple tricks for food โ an early form of โguisingโ.
When Irish and Scottish immigrants brought these traditions to North America in the 1800s, the practices evolved into modern Halloween celebrations, focused more on community, costumes, and candy than on religious observance.
The Filipino Connection: Faith and Family in Undas
Spanish missionaries introduced these feast days to the Philippines in the 16th century, where they merged with indigenous beliefs about ancestors and spirits. Over generations, the local faithful transformed these observances into a distinctly Filipino tradition โ Undas.
During Undas, families visit cemeteries not only to mourn but to celebrate life. They clean and decorate graves, light candles, offer flowers and food, and pray for the souls of their loved ones.
The cemetery becomes a place of fellowship โ part vigil, part reunion โ where the living reaffirm bonds with those who came before them.
From Darkness to Light
What began as a pagan festival of fear and harvest has become a season of faith, remembrance, and hope. From the bonfires of ancient Samhain to the soft candlelight of Filipino cemeteries, the journey of these observances reveals humanityโs enduring desire to stay connected beyond death.
As families light candles this Undas, they carry forward a tradition thousands of years old โ one that reminds the living that love transcends time, and that remembrance is the truest form of faith.
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