CEMETERY SCENE People troop to cemeteries in what has become a regular scene on All Saints’ Day in the Philippines. A recent report shows Filipinos rank second in the world for remembering their dead, next only to Mexicans. —INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
This shouldn’t come as a surprise given the Filipinos’ deep reverence for the dead.
The Philippines ranks No. 2 in the world for remembering the dead, thanks to millions of Filipinos who troop to cemeteries every year to visit their departed loved ones, according to the Skymorials 2018 Global Index Report.
Mexico topped the list of 52 countries assessed by Skymorials based on culture, religion, history and traditions.
Skymorials is an online repository of memories, tributes and obituaries formed in 2013 in Australia.
It has since expanded to other countries such as the Philippines, where its partners include Arlington Memorial Chapels, Loyola Memorial Chapels, Heritage Park and Cosmopolitan Memorial Chapels.
Index score
Mexico obtained an index score of 60.7 out of 70, while the Philippines got 59.9. They were followed by Indonesia (57.9), Japan (56.8), India (56.2), China (55.5), Italy (55.1), Ireland (54.8), Thailand (54.6) and South Africa (52.9)
Unique cultural practices
The report attributed the Philippines’ high ranking to its large Catholic population and unique cultural practices.
“There is typically a nine-day novena, a 40-day mourning period for immediate family, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day are also widely practiced and are national holidays which are standard practice in Catholic countries,” the report said.
Merrymaking
All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day are declared holidays every year to allow Filipinos to visit their dead in cemeteries by lighting a candle and saying a prayer for them.
Over the years, the solemn tradition has given way to merrymaking in crowded urban cemeteries and memorials, marked by food binges, loud music, games and endless chatter, all in the spirit of family bonding.
But the country’s archipelagic nature also allowed for the development and practice of different burial practices based on numerous beliefs and superstitions, the report said.
5 religions
“In Cebu, due to its large Chinese-Filipino population, Chinese burial rites, such as burning money for loved ones to use in the afterlife, are also practiced,” it said.
Skymorials based its ranking on the practices and beliefs of five religions: Roman Catholic, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. The religion that has the “most meaningful and impactful” practices got higher scores.
“The ways in which we deal with death varies from community to community, and one of the main factors is religion,” the study said.
Based on the criteria, the Philippines got the following scores: religious traditions (9.5), funeral customs (9.7), remembrance traditions (9.2), historical records (8.5), memorial records (7.9) and anniversary celebrations (7.7).
Mexico was found to be huge in remembering the dead because, just like the Philippines, the North American country is largely Catholic.
“Mexico approaches such events differently, opting for a ‘celebration of life’ seen in the festivities of Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), an annual three-day event commemorating the dearly departed,” the report said.