Popularly identified as "All Soul's Day", this is the day set apart in the Roman Catholic Church for the commemoration of the souls of the faithful departed. It falls on the 2nd of November although; most Filipinos celebrated it as early as November 1. The tradition is said to have started in the 10th and 11th centuries and was based on the (Catholic) doctrine that "prayers of the faithful on earth may help purify souls in purgatory.
Trick or Treat has been a customary Halloween tradition. Children in costumes travel from house to house in order to ask for treats such as candy with the question “Trick or Treat?” The trick is usually a threat to perform mischief on the homeowners if no treat is given. But here in the Philippines, our own version of Trick or Treat reflects our traditions in celebrating All Soul’s Day.
We TREAT our departed loved ones through the following simple acts of love
To visit the graves of loved ones on All Souls’ Day is considered a duty of such importance to Filipinos that they will travel great distances to their home towns in order to perform this obligation of love and piety.
They also clean the graveyards, paint the tombs and decorate it with flowers. Candles are also placed around the graves or at the foot of the tombstones, to be lighted on and left burning throughout the night.
Prayers and Masses are offered for the repose of the souls who died not in the state of grace.
More and more Filipinos are becoming aware of the Halloween Celebration so it is not anymore surprising to see people adapting to westernized Halloween TRICKS like wearing costumes or attending Halloween Parties.
People are preparing for Halloween Costume and Masquerade Parties, others are hosting Trick or Treat for kids.
Stories about haunted house, ghost encounters, and supernatural beings such as kapre, tikbalang, engkanto and tiyanak are prevalently shared among peers. Even television shows feature ghost stories, horror tales, and other specials about Halloween.
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