Death superstitions have their reasons

It’s bad luck for a third guy to light a cigarette from the same match. Why? The explanation draws back to World War II, during the Japanese siege of Bataan. Three Filipino soldiers were resting after a fierce gun battle. They decided to light up a smoke with their last remaining matchstick. Carefully the first man lit up; an enemy sniper spotted the spark and cocked his rifle. The matchstick passed on to the second man; the sniper took aim. The matchstick moved on to the last man; whereupon the sniper fired with deadly accuracy.

Filipinos have many more superstitions about death. There are practical (?) explanations for all.

Why is it that we do not only mourn but also make merry during wakes? Obviously it’s because those are occasions for rare family or class reunions. Besides, we need an excuse to drink. As Alfredo Roces noted, we Filipinos drink on only three occasions: when we are happy, when we are sad, and for any other reason.

Why should the deceased’s family wear black or white? It’s so they don’t have to fuss about what to wear to receive long-lost kith and kin. It’s sad enough to have death in the family, worse to have nothing to wear for the party.

The bereaved should not sweep the floor while the body lies in state because it might bring bad luck. But it’s also to spare the mourners the trouble so let the neighbors do it. They should not walk the guests to the door; they’re tired, right, but it’s more gracious for them to say they don’t want to bring the ill fortune of death on the guests too. And they mustn’t bathe until after the burial; that’s a good excuse for still being smelly at beso-beso.

Guests must not bring food home from the wake lest they leave the deceased hungry in the afterlife. It’s a nice way of telling off that perennial moocher to suspend his bad habit just for a few days.

Drop by any place before going home from a wake. Is it to shake off naughty spirits who might have tagged along? Maybe, but it’s also to run the errand missed in the rush to the wake. Men should light up a cigarette before leaving the cemetery. Why? They just want to.

In America you get only five hours or so in the evening to view the deceased, then it’s burial the next day. Sanitary laws are strict on preparing the corpse for funerals. In the Philippines, daylong wakes follow overnight vigils. It’s to keep the dead — more so the bereaved family — company: a good excuse, especially for the suitor of the deceased’s daughter.

There should be high-stakes card games or mahjong during wakes, when laws against public gambling automatically are suspended. The dealer takes 10 percent of each winning — a quick way to raise money for the funeral and other expenses.

Weddings, birthday bashes and other expensive events should not be held within the year of the death. It’s obvious to the poor family why.

There is confusion over when to start the nine-day novena: on the first day of wake, or the burial. One thing certain, the family must leave food on the doorsteps on the fourth and ninth day, when the soul of the dead is believed to return some last times. Serving food to praying guests also keep them coming the next day. The 40th day is when the soul of the deceased, like Jesus Christ, will ascend to Heaven. It’s another occasion for prayer; also a good day to assess what’s left of the family fortune.

No tears should fall on the dead or the coffin, as it would make the journey to the afterlife difficult. It’s also hard to retouch the deceased’s makeup, and messy on the casket glass.

When someone sneezes at a wake, pinch him. Why? Wala lang.

The corpse should be positioned facing the door, the feet too, so the soul can easily depart for the afterlife. To quote Meet the Fockers, “I am watching you.” When carrying the coffin out for burial, it should be headfirst lest the confused soul return from the other side. Hmm, I don’t know the reason for that one.

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Travel broadens the mind and lengthens the chat, Mark Twain said, but it flattens the wallet. The last need not happen if you’re on an expense account — or are a scholar, as 11 Filipino teenagers are in the latest batch of ASEAN awardees of elite Singaporean education.

The 11 will enroll tuition-free in two years of high school and another two of junior college known for science and math. They bested 40 other interview finalists from a pool of 270 applicants for the 2009 scholarship grant. In all, close to a hundred young Filipinos have benefited from the program subsidized by the Singaporean government.

Ambassador A. Selverajah said if the 11 do well, they’d be entitled to full college courses either at the University of Singapore or the Nanyang Technological University. But in send-off rites, he advised them to also mix with Singaporeans like ambassadors of cultural understanding.

Singapore puts premium on education. The ASEAN scholarships cost S$20,000 (P600,000) each, including tuition, stipend, dorm and board, plane fare, and medical and accident insurance.

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Arnold “Igan” Clavio celebrates his 43rd birthday on Sunday, Nov. 2, with a blood-donating party at Robinson’s Place, Malate, Manila. The post-Halloween “Dugong Buhay, Isang Pag-aalay” is on from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Igan requests that you bring along ten or more of your friends.

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