So what's your Hallo-win Plan?

I used to remember how typical my both "All Saints' Day" & "All Souls' Day" were back when I was obliged to accompany my mom to the cemetery, but now she's in the U.S., so I guess I'll be having a different one this year. I recall, after the cemetery we just gather in our home and enjoy a sumptuous meal prepared by mom to be shared with the rest of my clan. The holidays also served as our reunion, eerie right? Well, perhaps just to have a head-count of those relatives who are still alive, kidding aside. Nowadays, as people are becoming more liberated and impersonal to some traditions such as myself, we are looking forward to some events such as parties or just a long weekend of stress-busters by watching a movie, talking to friends, having beach get-aways and divulging to wide-menu of food treats.

Perhaps, gone are the days when Filipinos were so religious, or those who pretended to be one, who observes these particular days as-if-Holy Week! We have accepted that trick-or-treating is the new gimmick which I believe to be helpful especially to a very stressful lifestyles that we deal today. It was said that Halloween started in the earlier years to be more of a ceremony to acknowledge the dead souls who once believed to pass the earth during these days. As time progresses and as mix in cultures occurs, beliefs and traditions evolves to become more appealing and practical. I believe it will come a time in our country that we would no longer visit the cemeteries as of often as we used to. As almost all commodities increases, people would think that gassing-up for cemetery visits would no longer be practical or perhaps even healthy. Besides, in religious sense, praying can be more useful regardless of location.

Another fun part are the ways we express our interest to scare ourselves. I'm sure by this day, you have bought/rented numerous horror films in DVDs. I myself was even annually glued to a Halloween-special of the defunct "Magandang Gabi Bayan" as hosted by our Vice-President, Noli de Castro. I admit that I easily have goosebumps upon watching horror flicks or just listening to scary folklore and I just really find them entertaining, though sometimes I even hardly fall asleep.

Whatever we used of doing or planned to change of doing this year, just remember our loved ones who were with us and unfortunately passed away. Pray- pray for their souls, pray for our own souls as well.

Happy Halloween everyone!