Comments on: A Food Offering for the Dearly Departed…

By: pistachio

pistachio — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 05:04:26 +0000

I’m not familiar with this tradition, so could someone please shed more light on this? What happens to the food offering — do you gather round the grave and eat it together? Or do you just leave the food there as you would leave flowers, to be later consumed by the poor squatter folk who live in the cemetery?

By: emz

emz — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 14:05:08 +0000

nice choice marketman hehehe i couldn’t live without coke either. it would be nice to have it at least well, once a year in the after life :)

By: Ed

Ed — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 01:10:28 +0000

aridelros:

The Chinese predilection for round foods has several connections to auspicious things, such as round coins (for wealth) and the moon (a poetic image that is most invoked in the fall – the “harvest moon”). Perhaps they bring round foods for their departed ancestors as a reminder of the cycle of life.

Many of the Chinese-based dishes we Filipinos serve during celebrations have also inherited much of their symbolism: pansit noodles for long life (because noodles are made long, of course) and lumpia for wealth (because of their resemblance to gold ingots).

By: MasPinaSarap

MasPinaSarap — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 19:00:01 +0000

It’s simply a native tradition. Why overcomplicate things? Americans leave flowers in cemetaries. We leave food and light candles. It all symbolizes our respect and fond memories of dead loved ones.

By: manilastreetwalker

manilastreetwalker — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 13:29:33 +0000

Adrinelros,

Offering food stuff to the ‘third realm’ (ancestors or godly spirits) is a very Chinese tradtion. See the Chinese believe that what ever your due in life is the same way in death so come November 1, the Chinese Cemetery turns into one big buffet-fiesta with the caretakers having the most loot since a lot of the food offered are eventually given to them.

By: Jean

Jean — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 03:22:31 +0000

My hats off to you MM. Thank you for posting this.

By: Mila

Mila — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 02:14:32 +0000

The chinese offer not only food, but in some cases burn paper money and paper mache cars/houses/stuff that the dead would like to take with them. I suspect it’s a tradition that is shared by all ancient civilizations where the dead is sent off with food for his/her trip to the world beyond our ken, and as things got more complicated, they’d take along their pets, clothing, means of transportation, etc.

I’d want to be buried with a good dark chocolate bar.

By: elna

elna — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 19:30:33 +0000

Would be nice if our dead ancestors come for a visit once a year to feast on our ‘halad’ – but sad to say they don’t. Growing up, my family used to do halad believing that our departed loved ones will indeed pay us a visit every All Saints/Souls Day but later on in life I learned that this is simply a Catholic tradition and not a Biblical truth.

By: MasPinaSarap

MasPinaSarap — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 19:25:02 +0000

Yay! You did a post on this, MM! I left out a plate of chicken, rice, shrimp, salad, candies, water, and I lit a candle and incense. I, of course, said my prayers as well.
When I woke up, I nibbled on it, so I’ve completed the tradition for myself.
Ed, It is very Ilocano, isn’t it? There’s a plate for my Apong that’s changed throughout the year for him as well.
I know we also leave fruits and lit candles on the graves as well.

By: sister

sister — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 15:25:17 +0000

How about native tradition harking back to ancestor worship before the Spaniards came and made some Filipinos Christians. Christian clothing, pagan hearts… I don’t think the Vatican would approve of frequent flyer souls.
Mom would return to Vienna, where she only ate cake for the 3 days she was there, quite a feat if you ask me. She thoroughly would approve of your sweet offerings. Not to mention all the flowers you devotedly keep by her grave all year. You have always been a a good son.