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So, anyway, we improvise our Halloween costumes by using white bed sheets, our mom’s red lipstick for the blood, plus her black eyeliner, of course, for those scary black eyebags. My older brother would put on my dad’s trench coat and put it way above his head, so he would look headless. That never fails to make my younger cousin, Josephine, pee in fear.
But the real Halloween wonder for us was on November 1 and 2, which are officially Holy Days in this predominantly Catholic country. This means no school for all of us who go to Catholic Schools. On November 1, we prepare ham and egg sandwiches, plus boxes of juice to bring to the cemetery. Yup, it is practically a big party place out there! We trek to the cemetery on foot, offer flowers and candles to our dead relatives’ grave stones, and practically have a blast, staying there till the late afternoon.
I am so not kidding. It is like one big reunion party because we meet relatives we haven’t seen for long (for a year, anyway, because the last time we saw them was the previous year on this same date). We stay there till the late afternoon, eating and horsing around,and if one cousin brought his boombox, it is “parteey!” (Authorities were not strict then.). Some families actually bring pancit and other typical Filipino food and eat right there.
We don’t do this anymore. I used to regal my children with stories of our graveyard escapades (plus a few ghost stories when we were there cleaning one relative’s graveyards), but they never can get it why we had so much fun back then. I think life was much simpler then, and we found beauty in its simplicity. Children today are wired and connected and has turned blase on anything that is simple.
And they insist on having their own Halloween costumes, too.
Here’s Adrian in a vampire and monster costume, plus his dream “Luke Skywalker” costume which never happened, mainly because I had no time to make it and stores don’t have the costume either…
P.S. And there goes NaBloPoMo Day 7. (23 days more to go and I am already having a gigantic headache hehe)
I spent my nov.1's exactly the way your family did. Its like a picnic and party in the cemetery.I miss those days.
Back when we were in grade school, I don't think I even know Halloween hehe.
Cute Halloween costumes! Hope your kid will get his Luke Skywalker costume next year! =)
I know. He likes to be a Jedi. haha
Life then was so much simpler. I remembered roaming around the cemetery too with my cousins to collect melted wax. It was also sort of a picnic adventure for us coz my grandmother would bring along mats and food and eating what we brought while reminiscing our dead relatives.
Yup, we did that too, collecting melted wax and then shouting Tabi Tabi po whenever we step on gravestones!
I remember life back then, too. And when my cousins and I reminisce and we're heard by my nephews, they laugh at us and say "Ang babaw naman po ng kaligayahan nyo." Hahaha.
You're right, the young ones would never get why it's more fun during our days. Hindi sila maka-relate. 😛
Yup, totally. Technology has ironically kept them out of touch
Am 33 and honestly I haven't tried wearing scary costume on Halloween..visiting from ComEx Nov 6 for my second blog..:)www.singlemomreviews.com
Hi, PrettyMom. I like your blog! We only get to use Halloween costumes back then because there used to be Halloween parties at Camp John Hay.
love seeing kids wearing different costumes. They're so cute.