Holidays are much more than work abstentions

Yesterday we commemorated National Heroes’ Day by not going to the office. Many people were not even aware that they were supposed to be celebrating the day Andres Bonifacio issued a manifesto fixing August 29 as the beginning of the general uprising against Spain. What is sad is that we celebrate the day not with any national program to remind us of what took place but by simply refraining from work. That is why Filipinos have very little historical consciousness. The important thing yesterday was not what Bonifacio did 109 years ago. It is that we did not have to go to work. So that is all what a holiday means. The historical event is totally inconsequential. And its only effect on the nation is that we lose a day’s work.

We would like to see the day when the Historical Commission can present a plan on how each holiday should be commemorated. Definitely it should not just be another excuse not to work. Two months from now, we will be commemorating Bonifacio Day. He was born on Nov. 30, 1863. Many no longer remember that he was the founder of the Katipunan and the person responsible for the outbreak of the Revolution.

Holydays are better observed than holidays. This is because holydays have programs of activities. People know what to do on Ash Wednesday and All Saints’ Day. But holidays just mean no work. In the case of Rizal Day, we at least have a parade. But no type of celebration is associated with Bonifacio Day.

This is also true about the People’s Power Revolution. That was one of the greatest events in our history. We know of no other nation in the world that toppled a dictatorship without a single loss of life or even damage to property. But to date, it is not properly commemorated here. If there is any program at all, it is geared to politicians giving speeches about people power. The celebration should emphasize the spontaneous participation of the people. People’s Power clearly showed how united the Filipino people were and are. They didn’t even need a leader. They led themselves.

Malacañang should assign an office to plan how our holidays should properly be commemorated and celebrated. And perhaps it should be planned in such a way that the celebration can be adopted by every barangay, municipality and city. They can take a cue from our fiestas. The fiesta is our highest community expression. Everyone is part of the fiesta. We cannot say the same thing for our national holidays. The people do not seem to be involved. It is because they are not made to feel that they are part of the holiday. What our holidays need is an hermano mayor passing the responsibility for the next fiesta celebration to the new hermano mayor.