Halloween!

Halloween is not celebrated by Filipinos, instead we celebrate All Saint's Day or All Soul's Day on November 1st and 2nd. Back in the Philippines at this time of the year, some of the family members or all go to the cemetery before November to clean the graves (weeding, sweeping, and painting the plots). Comes November 1st and 2nd, the family spend most of the day at the cemetery bringing foods, flowers, and candles and spend some time with our departed family members. Some visits other cemeteries where other relatives are buried. As a kid, visiting my grandparents and aunt's grave I hang out with the cousins that I haven't seen in awhile playing card games, telling stories, eating, and every kid's favorite thing to do play with candle droppings making ball out of melted wax. Not until recently that Philippines celebrated the adaptation of this American culture by throwing costume parties and going trick or treating. I think I only dressed up 3-4 times in 26 years that I've been here in the US. So, when my friends asked me what did I dress up as for Halloween, I tell them that I didn't dress up and I didn't go trick or treating. I didn't quite know what to think about Halloween seeing that I've only only been here for 3 months and don't know what its about. I'm not quite sure what I was supposed to be, but I was wearing white shirt with a scary face on it, a pants (similar to parachute pants) and a brown paper bag on my head. Yea nobody knows exactly what I was supposed to be. My cousins took us trick or treating for the first time taking us to some really scary houses. All I know was that getting all those candies were awesome. After several houses, my cousins, brothers and I would go home and dump all our candies on the dining room table with my aunt, uncle, and cousins checking all the candies.

I would say I never fully adapted to this American festivities, but I would participate in some Halloween festivities like giving candies to those going trick or treating. For some reason, though I could not get myself to going all out and dressing up and attending costume parties.