MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Her father may no longer be with her, but Lorita Santos keeps the memories they shared close to her heart.
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they → keep → heart
She was among thousands of Filipinos who flocked to cemeteries across Manila on Sunday to visit the graves of their loved ones, marking All Saints’ Day.
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who → flock → Day
For generations, the tradition known locally as Undas has brought families together to remember and honor their dead.
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tradition → know → dead
The name derives from the Spanish word “honras,” meaning “honors.
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name → derive → honors
“Just because they have passed away does not mean we should forget them,” said Santos, who visited the resting places of her father and three other relatives.
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who → pass → father
Her family marks the occasion by offering flowers and candles.
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family → mark → flowers
Together, they also pray and share snacks.
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they → pray → snacks
The visits are an opportunity to share stories about those who have passed away.
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who → share → those
Santos fondly remembers how her father would give his children and grandchildren small gifts every payday.
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father → remember → gifts
“We will never forget that,” she added.
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she → forget → that
Santos grew up visiting the graves of her relatives, even outside All Saints’ Day.
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Santos → grow → Day
Now, she is teaching her kids to do the same.
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she → teach → same
“We pass this on to our children to make sure they are aware of the tradition, so that if something happens to us, they know what to do,” Santos said.
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Santos → pass → what
Ancestor veneration became intertwined with Catholicism
Encompassing All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, Nov. 1 and 2, Undas is rooted in Catholic observances but also incorporates beliefs and customs that predate Spanish colonization.
“There is a very long tradition of ancestor worship in the Philippines,” said Nestor Castro, an anthropology lecturer at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
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Castro → encompass → Philippines
Long before the Spanish arrived, Filipinos honored ancestral spirits known as anito by offering food and other gifts to the dead.
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Filipinos → arrive → dead
These practices were not tied to a particular date but formed part of a broader tradition of ancestor veneration, Castro explained.
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Castro → tie → veneration
The tradition evolved after the Spanish arrived in 1565 and introduced Catholicism and new religious practices, some of which may have come from Mexico.
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some → evolve → Mexico
The two countries have historical ties dating back to Spanish colonial rule, when the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade connected them for centuries.
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trade → have → centuries
Today, they also have similar customs for honoring the dead and remembering loved ones.
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they → have → ones
In Mexico, many families also honor their departed loved ones by spending a day or night at their graves or setting up altars at home.
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families → honor → home
It is a joyful occasion filled with marigolds, music and food.
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It → fill → marigolds
Similar customs are observed in other countries with strong Catholic traditions, including Bolivia, Poland and Hungary, where families gather to honor their dead with flowers, candles and prayers.
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families → observe → flowers
Family gatherings strengthen ties across generations
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gatherings → strengthen → generations
In Filipino culture, death is not only a time to honor those who have passed away, but also an occasion that brings families together, Castro said.
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Castro → honor → families
During funeral wakes, he added, families wait for relatives who live far away to arrive before burying their loved ones.
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who → add → ones
“That’s when family reunions occur.
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reunions → ’ → ?
It’s a binding event.
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It → ’ → ?
That sense of togetherness also extends to Undas.
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sense → extend → Undas
Sticky rice cakes are often shared for the occasion, symbolizing the bonds between relatives through their sticky texture.
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cakes → share → texture
“These events foster and solidify kinship relationships,” Castro said.
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Castro → foster → relationships
For Mike Mamaril, a 42-year-old school maintenance employee, visiting his parents’ graves is a custom passed down from his grandparents.
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visiting → visit → grandparents
He said he makes time for the annual visit, even though he rarely gets another opportunity to go.
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he → say → opportunity
The gatherings are also a chance to reminisce about his mother and father, including the lighter moments of his childhood.
“We always talk about who among us got scolded the most,” Mamaril said.
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Mamaril → reminisce → us
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Hernández reported from Beijing.
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Hernández → report → Beijing
The Aporia
