I had coffee while I waited for the kids to finish their bath. We had to be in my mother's house before the day gets hot. I would take my mother to the cemetery so she could have a glimpse of the tombs of Tatay, her parents, and other relatives. And perhaps, she would comment on how the tombs looked scrubbed and clean. And I would silently wallow on my good job. Well, not necessarily my job, as the helpers did all the cleaning while I went around the cemetery to kill the time. But I was responsible to bring the helpers to clean the tombs, didn't I?
Flower vendors are doing brisk business during the Piyesta Minatay. Arranged flowers cost more than double the price.
I dropped my wife and kids in the farm so they could arrange the flowers they bought for the graves of my in-laws. We bought only flowers - chrysanthemums, Malaysian mumps, and baby's breath. It was a sin to buy the atrociously priced foliage as better looking ferns grow in abundance in the farm. Baby's breath used to grow profusely in the farm too, but they gave way to plots of string beans. My sisters also arranged their flowers in the farm yesterday because of the ferns.
Whole families head to the cemetery in spite of the heat of the sun.
Nanay was dressed up by the kasambahay when I arrived. That was my agreement with the kasambahay. Because she is already 84yo, Nanay is impatient and moody. She will only go out when I fetch her. She will never go with anyone, even with my nieces who grew up under her care. When informed beforehand that we were going out, she would be in a hurry to leave the house and would pester everyone to take her to the car already. In the same way, she would be in a hurry to go home when we arrive in our destination. So, it is not practical to take her to some far away destination.
We arrived at the cemetery at 8:00 am. It was already hot. I showed the helper how to push Nanay's wheelchair. 'If you wish to work abroad, better learn this,' I told him. We went directly to the tomb of my father. Nanay lighted some candles with the help of her grandchildren. We proceeded to the tombs of her parents and siblings. Again she lighted some candles. Along the way, she read the names of the dead inscribed on the lapidas before the tombs we passed by. Sometimes she wondered why some of those she knew were already dead. 'I was older than them', she would comment.
Locally made flower baskets are in demand.
The Jaro plaza is literally blooming during Piyesta Minatay. But the flowers, and even buyers, are fewer this year compared to previous years.
We returned back to my father's tomb and I left Nanay there in the company of my sisters and nieces. Then I hurriedly went to the graves of other kins and acquaintances to light candles. My kids and my brother's apos who were tagging along with me, enjoyed lighting the candles.
There were already too many people braving the heat. The air was festive rather than somber. Of course, we call November 1, Piyesta Minatay because it really is a fiesta. After a few minutes, I took Nanay home.
Metro Manila cemeteries were still wet because of typhoon Santi. But here in Iloilo, we never had a rain the past days. It was really hot and humid. So we decided to take our lunch in the farm.
We had broiled fish and pork, and pork nilaga with alubihod leaves. The kids loved it. We also had fresh young coconuts or kulabo. I like kulabo. I can finish pitchers, not just glasses, of it. For dessert, we had palitaw, which I usually called palubog, and inday-inday. After lunch, everybody lolled on the bamboo flooring of the nipa hut and watched Yanggaw.
Some names are famous. Others are not so famous. Most are never heard. But one thing are common to them - they are names of dead people.
Afternoon was supposed to be the time for pangalag. I liked the kids to experience it. We scheduled a pangalag with our neighbor who promished to cook native kakanins for us. But we forgot the time, so the neighbors just sent us some ibos as they were already leaving for the cemetery.
Some graves have many visitors....
.... others have just one... or none at all.
But we still went to do pangalag in the house of classmate Matea. She had no visitors. She just prepared for us. We had ibos, ginat-an, palitaw, pansit, suman (Tagalogs call it biko) and native fruits. I asked Matea if she had itang (small food servings placed in a corner of the room purportedly for souls or spirits). She said she did not believe in itang, just like the other people I asked. I told her I was just curious about itang because I have not seen it being practiced anymore.
Karalagan - suman, ibos, ginat-an, palitaw. I like the kids to experience pangalag, just like the days when I was still a kid myself.
Before 5:00 pm we returned to the cemetery. The traffic was heavy. We parked far from the cemetery because there were so many vehicles parked on both sides of the highway. As cars were bumber to bumper, people too were shoulder to shoulder. There were too many people. Just as I was sometimes surprised to know that some people I thought were still alive were actually dead already as shown by their lapidas, I was more surprised to meet people whom I thought were already dead but were actually still alive and kicking. I met a doctor who was younger than I but who looked older with gray hairs even in his eyelids. Beside him was a man whom I thought was just his friend, but was actually his son. His son was already shaving his mustache. And my older daughter is only in Grade 5!
There are those literally awashed with expensive flowers.
Others with just cheap ones....
.. or with just a lonesome candle. Or even with just a prayer. All of the dead are remembered today.
Candles are lighted inside the campo santo for those whose graves could not be found.
We were supposed to stay longer and meet more friends. But the clouds were dark. The heavens threatened to damp some rain. So we hurriedly headed for the car. It was still heavy traffic and it was hard to negotiate our way back to town. It was then when I noticed that it was already too dark. The other vehicles were already switching on their headlines. I also put on my headlights. And I saw that the time was only 5:30pm. Just a few minutes ago, the sun was up and it was so hot. Now, it was dark. The streetlights were also on. Parang nagka-solar eclipse.
As we reached the town, the moon was already up in the clouds. The car's clock said it was only 5:47. But the moon was beautiful. Too beautiful indeed. What was lacking were silhouettes of flying half-bodied creatures with uncombed hairs and bat wings. It would have been a more beautiful and more memorable Piyesta Minatay.@
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