When Death Becomes a Livelihood

It has been a week since old woman died and still a public viewing is still being held.

It is not uncommon for Filipinos to hold a public viewing of the death for more than week especially if the reason is for he important members to arrive from far away places. It is customary for us Filipinos to take into consideration the wishes of the person before his or her death even to the extent that we vicariously thought of what must have that dead person would do or say when he or she was still alive.

As a fervent respect to our dearly beloved who passed away. We follow certain customs and superstitions. Like for as long as the dead is not buried yet no one should take a bath in the house where viewing is held otherwise it would be a bad omen. Any visitors should not bid goodbye to the host when visiting the dead. This is one perfect situation where one can go without being treated like a pariah for bad manners. Never to talk bad against the  one who is in the coffin no matter how bad she or he was for he or she who died cannot defend himself or herself. A big butterfly in the house especially during public viewing is believed to contain the dead man’s soul and should be treated with utter care or fear (goosebumps included). One should not clean the house for it is bad luck to do so. The coffin  should be carried out of house, funeral parlor and church head first to prevent the the soul from coming back. Always change clothes immediately at home after visiting the dead to get rid of any misfortunes and illnesses that must had attached with the dead.  Vigil should be held overnight in the entire duration of the wake for if everyone  fell asleep the dead will rise. Scary indeed. One important  ritual that all should do after burying the dead is to create a smoke out of grasses and everyone should pass by the smoking grass to get rid of the bad omen and illnesses or sickness. Most importantly, a prayer novena should be undertaken for 40 days since death. Like Jesus who had gone to heaven after 40 days.

We follow certain customs, believe some superstitions and  undertake rituals because we love and respect our dead. We may be in the age where reason and logic is given more emphasis and yet our mores when it comes to our dead are followed without question. Our being family oriented people make us readily accept what was the customs and traditions since time immemorial.

Such is my deep understanding and acceptance of our death rituals and belief that it irks me when people disrespect a dead. It had been a week since I saw a public viewing in the small chapel and until today it has not been buried. Every afternoon as a pass  by that small chapel I see the whole neighborhood of  that small community gathering outside the chapel like flies. They came in, if I may speculate, not to vigil but to gamble. I understand that playing card with small money involved is normal, this is for people to keep awake during  an overnight vigil. But  for some people like the ones I saw in that small chapel was an exception to the rule of decency especially when there are  some people conducting a dead prayer  to be  gambling with no care as to take a respite.This is not the worst I’ve seen nonetheless it touches a chord. I have seen news on television of gambling lords and people being arrested for buying dead bodies and install them make it look like there is wake when in fact those bodies are  just used as props to run a gambling den.

Such display of disrespect for the dead only show how people can transcend basic moral values that bind us as decent people.  All the superstitions, rituals and customs in relation to our dead is what keep us in balance and intact as a unique race for it goes beyond reason and when some people disrupt this, it skews that balance.

Just what I had seen in that public viewing at the chapel  left a bitter taste in my mouth for they could have just stop for a few minutes  in their gambling activity to involve themselves in novena prayer, but they were unmindful of it. Not only they have disrespected the dead but the our faith as well. It is a pity that the venue used to earn a living has involved even those who already rested in peace.