Halloween Reflection

I’d consider this year’s Halloween as Julia’s first. Last year, she was just 6 months old, mostly spent it sleeping, so it doesn’t really count. As foreseen, we ended up going to one of the biggest malls in the country – Mall of Asia. We figured, the bigger the mall, the better, as they might have more Halloween events given the high audience potential. They did have the mall trick or treat event in which children in costumes could freely roam and approach any shop to ask for candies. And at 3:00pm, they had the Nickelodeon Halloween show featuring Spongebob Squarepants and Dora. That sounded like fun at first but when we approached the Music Hall where it was to be held, it just burst whatever dream bubble I had in my mind. Nickelodeon character decorations, loud music, toy booths, a paltry horror house, lots of people in costumes selling stuff, little children everywhere – I am reminded of that fun place the fox used to lure and trap Pinocchio and the rest of the little children. What was I thinking? We left for home before the show even started. (And I’m glad Julia was too young to complain.) Spongebob Squarepants and Dora for Halloween? – that is where I draw the line.

But we did end up having a memorable Halloween and to my surprise, it happened in our own backyard. (Lesson: Never think that Halloween is always greener at the other side of the malls.)

We ended up strolling around our subdivision later that afternoon, passing by our neighbors’ houses. We saw an old lady lighting a candle and trying to make it stand on the steps leading to her house.
“Why are you lighting a candle in front of your house?” we asked her.
“This is for my dear late husband who is buried in Marinduque. The province is too far for me to travel so I am just lighting my candle for him here”, she replied.

I nodded in agreement. I thought it ridiculous for the dead to only see candles lighted for them on top of their tombs. Their ghosts, if they are in our world these Halloween days, most likely would get bored sitting around their tombs all day and since they could most likely “apparate” anywhere, they logically might hover near their still living loved ones, in this case, the old man’s wife.

“For whom is that other lighted candle over there?” I asked, pointing to the single lighted candle in her dark house.
“Oh that one, I’m trying to save on my electricity bill”, said the old lady with a toothless chuckle.

Later that night, we found that most of the houses in our area had lighted candles in their front steps. Most were from far provinces like us, who couldn’t go home to be at our loved ones tombs. It was a peaceful thing, seeing the candles flickering in the night, welcoming the spirits that may roam and letting them know that we still remember. That they mean as much to us now as they had when they were living. And we honor the time they had spent in this world.

We lighted four candles in our steps, one for our dads (my husband’s and mine), one for our great great grandparents/great grandparents/grandparents, one for our uncles and aunts and one for all the rest of the souls who are still stuck in purgatory.

Julia had fun with the candles, and I felt connected with our small community, with the age old tradition, with my small family and with the spirits of the past. We have not forgotten.