Donuts for the Dead?

At first glance, the deja vu was incredible. Big grassy knolls, portable shade tents, picnic foods, guys playing frisbee, and even the hotdog vendors brought all those Memorial Day weekend memories rushing back. But wait, something about this scene was different. It was at a cemetery!

What!?

All Hallows Eve (Halloween) and All Saints Day are a big deal in the Philippines, not for cute little fairies, batmen, and witches tromping to your doorstep singing out "Trick or Treat!," but because it is a day that people make an annual pilgrimage to the cemetery to pay "respects" to their dead ancestors. Anything from candlelight vigils to full on barbeques take place. People leave flowers, Krispy Kreme donuts, KFC, and even beer cans for the ancestors to enjoy. It is such a big deal here that both days are non-working holidays. And any experienced foreigner has learned to steer clear of all cemeteries to avoid major traffic jams.

In a way it's humorous to think that people believe this helps their ancestors (I mean, a donut? Really?), but at the same time it's sad. As a Filipino said, we should be giving them the flowers while they're alive. Yes, it's cultural more than religious, but it's also a good indicator of the amount of fear some people live in. To constantly live with the fear hanging over one's head that an action might anger a dead ancestor can be absolutely debilitating, and it is for many of the folks we work with. Many old practices (what we call "old wives' tales) are continued for fear of upsetting a spirit and causing harm to the family, often at the cost of the health and development of a newborn baby, something I see all the time.

So please pray for us as we try to bring them the love of Christ that casts out all fear. It's a delicate balance to bring it in a culturally sensitive way.