Why All Saints' Day in the Philippines is called Undas

Undas has been a common term to refer to All Saints’ Day in the Philippines but did you know how it came to be so?

In Monday’s #KuyaKimAnoNa episode on “24 Oras,” Philippine studies professor Schedar Jocson said undas came from Filipinos’ habit of making words shorter in the past.

“Yung mga Pilipino noon, dahil hindi nakapag-aral ng wikang Kastila, pinaiikli nalang yung mga pahayag. Undas means Dia Delos Todos Santos o ang ibig sabihin ay Day of All Saints,” Jocson said.

[Because Filipinos weren’t able to learn foreign language before, they just shorten phrases. Undas means Dia Delos Todos Santos or Day of All Saints.]

Jocson also gave a bit of trivia, saying that the oldest cemetery in Metro Manila is the La Loma Cemetery.

Kuya Kim, meanwhile, shared that among the most common dishes that Filipinos prepare for their deceased loved ones is kakanin such as biko.

With the COVID-19 threat still around, some opted to commemorate this year’s Undas at home.

Among the ways to honor late loved ones outside the cemetery include attending a virtual Mass and praying. -Franchesca Viernes/NB, GMA News