Betis’ novena for the dead

The community cemetery in Betis, Pampanga. Photos: Ruston Banal

The tradition of going to the cemetery and praying for the dead for nine consecutive days has been a tradition in Betis, Pampanga, for a long time.

"As far as I remember, since I was a child, it was regular practice among Betiseños," said Mrs. Denden Sanchez, 89 and a resident of the town in Guagua. "It’s the annual novena for the departed love ones."

I grew up in Betis observing this practice. I remember visiting the community public cemetery in San Nicholas on the eve of November 1 with my cousins. We had a hard time penetrating through the crowd of heavily clustered people to reach the graves of love ones to pay our respects.

For us, it was not just about the observance of the All Souls Day. It was also our way of meeting up with relatives coming from far places—to bond with them, and share stories and memories, in front of the tombs of loved ones and cherishing memorable things about them when they were still alive.

Todos Los Santos in Betis starts with a mass at the St. James Parish Church. Then there will be a general prayer for the dead, the official start of the novena, upon which the parishioners will proceed to the cemetery. The parish priest would then lead the procession, with the sacristans carrying the ciriales (a cross and a candelaria). n the cemetery, there will be a bendisyon, with the graves blessed with holy water, and another prayer in the chapel.

"In the 1930s, we would go there [the cemetery] at 4:00 p.m.," recalls Mrs. Sanchez. "Since there was no electricity, only candles, the whole atmosphere of the place was dimmed. When the regular train arrived for its 6:00 p.m. trip, it signaled the time to leave the graves of our loved ones if we are done with our prayers." The routine, then and now, continues for nine days, culminating in a mass in church.

But time has changed so much. On my last visit in 2012, the scarcity of the people visiting the cemetery was apparent. "Syam ne man kasing aldo. Kaya ding aliwa, uling syan ne man aldo, mumunta na la mu nung nukarin la maliaring mipunta [Since it’s a nine-day tribute to the dead, some would just attend one of these nine days when they want to]", says Marcelina Canlas, 77, from San Miguel.

Apparently, some people are proposing to make the All Souls' Day commemoration a one-day overnight event, to make it more convenient for devotees with regular jobs who couldn't be there for nine straight days. "Kasi en nan a kalupa kanita itung. Kanita, dacal kareng tau ala lang obra lakwas na ring babai. Kaya agyu dang munta keng daun agyang piyalod aldo da pa. Oh ngeni, magobra la ngan ding tau keng sakit na ning bie [Before, the people who attended this novena were most likely those who had no regular jobs. In the old days, women were plain housewives, but very religious and their devotion to Catholic tradition was tight], explains Lourdes Nulud, 60, from San Juan Bautista.

But despite these changes, says Mrs. Sanchez, "What is the traditional and widely accepted will naturally retain its former glory." She has been serving the church as a devotee and a council member for the last 60 years, and says she has seen these fluctuations of faith among Betiseños.

"The Betis community has remained stable not just because of the workforce and its material culture. The reason it is still here is faith. Faith binds us together, dead or alive.” — BM, GMA News