Undas in the Philippines

When: Every year on November 1 and 2

Undas is the Filipino name for All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Families go to the cemetery to clean graves, light candles, bring flowers, share food and spend the day together, remembering those who have died.

Where it came from

Catholic Christianity came to the Philippine islands in the 1500s, and with it the feasts of All Saints and All Souls. Before that, many peoples of the islands already honoured and remembered their ancestors. Filipino Undas grew from the meeting of these streams, and today it is one of the most important family days of the year.

Many people travel back to their home towns so the whole family can be together. The cemetery becomes a place of prayer, but also of reunion, stories and shared meals.

How it is kept around the world

• Getting ready. In the days before, families clean and often repaint the graves and tidy the cemetery.
• Candles and flowers. Families light candles, say prayers and lay flowers on the graves, often chrysanthemums.
• Food and family. Families bring food to share, and some prepare the favourite dishes of those who have died. Children play among the graves while the adults tell stories.
• Pangangaluluwa. In some country villages, especially in Luzon, children and young people go from house to house singing as if they were the souls of the dead, and are given small gifts. It is less common today.
• Sagada. In Sagada, in the mountains of northern Luzon, families light bonfires in the cemetery.
• Filipinos overseas. Families abroad keep Undas in their own ways, by visiting a local church, lighting a candle at home or calling relatives.

Christians differ

Most Filipinos are Catholic, and for Catholics Undas is a day to pray for the dead. Many Filipino Protestants and members of other churches do not keep Undas as a religious day, though some still remember loved ones in their own way. Families may share what they believe and what they do, and respect one another.

Do it together

Ages 0 to 2

• Hold a flower and a photo of a grandparent. Say their name and “we love you”.
• Light a battery candle together.

Ages 3 to 5

• Help a grown-up wipe a family photo frame clean and place a flower beside it.
• Draw a picture of a family gathering.

Ages 6 to 8

• Ask an older relative how your family keeps Undas or another remembering day, and write it down.
• Learn one family recipe that is shared at a gathering.

Ages 9 to 12

• Find the Philippines and Sagada on a map. Read about how Undas differs between city and mountains.
• Write a short thank-you letter to an ancestor you never met, based on stories you know.

Ages 13 to 17

• Interview a Filipino relative or friend about Undas where they live. What has changed across generations?
• Compare Undas, Día de Muertos and All Souls. What do they share?

A short prayer

Lord, thank you for our families, for those here and those who have died. Keep us together in your love. Amen.

Mark as done

Where this comes from

• F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone, eds., The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3rd ed. (Oxford University Press, 2005), entries “All Saints' Day” and “All Souls' Day”
• Philippine News Agency, “Returning to the roots of Filipino ‘Undas’”
• Arab News, “Filipinos mark All Saints' Day with bonfires, songs to honor their dead”
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 1032 (prayer for the dead)

Written with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed. Please read it before sharing it with a child.