day of the dead: the commemoration of all the faithful departed

All Souls Day is an official holiday of the Catholic Calendar. Today, Nov 2 is All Souls Day.

The choice of November 2 is traditionally attributed to St. Odilo, the fifth abbot of Cluny (city of France famous for the Abby), because he wanted to follow the example of Cluny in offering special prayers and singing the Office of the Dead on the day following the feast of All Saints.(63).

The day was founded to honor all the faithful departed and along with the offerings and the Office of the Dead, there are three Requiem Masses that are said by the clergy to assist the souls from Purgatory to Heaven.

The modern view of death derives in part from Pre-Hispanic times. The Aztecs played a very important role in the development of this tradition. Through their history this festival emerged as one of complexity and varied interpretations.

The "Day of the Dead " is celebrated by many catholic countries, worldwide. This celebration originated with the Roman Catholics, and was established in the Catholic calendar as an official holy day.

The Catholic faith has the theological idea of Purgatory as a means of paying for sins, and buying your way into Heaven.

Those believers who died in a "state of grace" were promised "heavenly rewards", after paying for their sins in purgatorial flames, while those who did not die in a "state of grace", were to spend eternity suffering in Hell.

Catholics did, however, believe that they could pray their loved ones out of Purgatory. This practice gives us an idea of the spiritual significance of honoring the deceased.

Generally, in my country the Philippines, the Filipino people celebrating this holiday will attend mass, sometimes exhibiting the relics of saints on a catafalque, and assist the souls of their loved ones from Purgatory to Heaven.

They will then proceed to the cemetery to visit, bless and decorate the graves. This tradition is universal among Catholic countries, and accepted by the church.

Many customs are associated with The Day of the Dead celebration. In the home, an altar is made with an offering of food upon it.

It is believed that the dead partake of the food in spirit and the living eat it later.

The "ofrendas"- offerings, are beautifully arranged with flowers, marigolds (zempasuchitl) which are the traditional flower of the dead.

There is a candle placed for each dead soul, and they are adorned in some manner. Incense is also used. Mementos, photos, and other remembrances of the dead are also adorning the ofrenda.

Food is considered indispensable for the celebration. The foods offered in the grave are different according to the wishes and social status of the deceased.

Typical foods include: bread, fruit vegetables, "suman sa ibos" (sweetened sticky rice", "pansit guisado" or "pansit bihon" (sauteed rice noodles with garnishings of shrimps and seasoning), and other oriental delicacies. Beverages which are placed on the grave include: water, coffee, beer, tequila, san miguel beer grande or regular, san miguel gin, and the latest available beer and liquour products, and fruit juices.

But one thing has remained constant, and that is the use of bread. The custom of having a loaf of bread relates to the early custom in Spain of begging for souls. The Philippines is under the Spanish regime for four hundred years (or more).
Some believe that the Spanish technology of bread-baking and the identical term used in Spain highly suggests that this tradition was Spanish influence.

In the Feast of All Souls, we solidify that the dead might "rest in peace."

Catholics believe, as we recite in the Creed, in the "communion of saints." This is the union of the faithful on earth (the Church Militant), the saints in Heaven (the Church Triumphant) and the souls in Purgatory (the Church Suffering).

This is the body of believers, with Christ as the head. We are united in a spiritual bond.

Through prayer we communicate, and since we never die, but live forever through the death and resurrection of Christ, we can still communicate with each other.

As believers on earth, we can communicate to our brethren who are in Heaven or Purgatory.

Those in Purgatory benefit from our prayers, and we from theirs.

The dead cannot pray for themselves but can pray and intercede for the living, so we need to pray for them.

And we can ask those in Purgatory and those in Heaven to pray for us while we are on our earthly pilgrimage with our target destination: Heaven.