Undas: How it began

According to the “Catechism for Filipino Catholics,” we Filipinos have traditionally manifested our deep faith in an afterlife for our departed loved ones, our devotion to saints and even general acceptance of the “spirit world.” Philippine culture places tremendous emphasis on the family.

During this period which we call Undas — All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day — people flock to burial sites of our deceased family members. This is both a religious tradition and a cultural norm. Christians, Muslims and Jews share a common practice of burying their dead in a special designated area called a cemetery. Even when the bodies are cremated and placed in an urn, this is usually placed in the equivalent of a cemetery, a columbarium. Not all religious faiths believe in burying their dead. For example, Hindus generally practice cremation but the bodies are then burned in a funeral pyre. Burial is reserved for children, ascetics and people with certain diseases.

Christian burial practices can be traced to the early years of Christianity. In ancient Rome, underground passages known as catacombs were used to bury the early Christians, in order to protect the bodies of the faithful, since the Christian religion was considered illegal.

When Christianity was legalized and ceased to be persecuted, Christians began to bury their dead in the yard around the churches. However, as soon as these burial places became overcrowded, several burial grounds were established away from the churches and even outside the cities and towns.

Today, most of the cemeteries are owned by local governments and even by business firms who operate what are called memorial parks. It is the Christian belief in the existence of the soul and its immortality that leads to the belief that our ancestors continue to live. If we accept the existence of souls, it follows that there has to be a place where they can go after their death.

This belief leads to a whole constellation of beliefs like a heaven and hell and a final resurrection. The modern concept of an immortal soul was also found in ancient Greece. Both Socrates and Plato shared in the idea of the “divine origin of the soul.” It was this idea that the belief took root that the soul was in fact more precious than the body. The ancient Greeks also believed in the underworld Hades, which derives from the root word meaning invisible or unseen. There was also a paradise derived from the word “paridaeza” which meant a vineyard or a grove of date palms. The word was also associated with royal hunting forests or simply the lush, shaded gardens reserved for the aristocracy.

When the Catholic Church canonizes a saint, it infallibly declares that the person has led an extraordinary life to a heroic degree. He or she is therefore in heaven and serves as a model of sanctity.

On All Saints’ Day, we are supposed to honor all the countless persons in heaven but have never been canonized. Thus, we honor all saints, especially those with no specific feast day.

The choice of the date, Nov. 1, is rich in tradition and antiquity. In the year 609 AD, the Roman emperor Phocas ceded the Pantheon, which had been a pagan temple in honor of all the gods. This edifice was rededicated as a church in honor of Mary and all martyrs in May 13 of that year. Later, the day was moved to Nov. 1 because that was the day when many pilgrims were in Rome and this was after the harvest when food was plentiful. The idea of remembering Nov. 1 as a day with plenty of food is traceable to the early days of Christianity.

Another reason for the choice of the date was to counteract the pagan Druid feast of evil spirits which, by the way, was the origin of Halloween.

During these two days of Undas, let us remember all our ancestors and beloved dead, and continue to pray for all Filipino families that they remain strong and united in the face of all the challenges of the modern world.

*      *      *

“Laparoscopic and Endoscopic Urology Fellowship Training Manual” edited by Jose-Vicente Prodigalidad was released in 2022, along with a team of urology associates-researchers at the Department of Urology at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Dr. Glen Denmer Santok, Dr. Dinno Francis Mendiola and Dr. Edward Uy Magadia.

The authors point out that the handbook is based on resources relevant to and in accordance with the accepted standards and guidelines at the time of publication. It is not meant to be used as basis of treatment or a substitute for professional consultation.

The authors’ credentials speak for themselves. Prodigalidad is a doctor we admire, a professional who has become more friend than mere doctor. He, like his late father, is a name associated with urology in the country, as he pioneered in laparoscopic urology. He heads the section of Minimally Invasive Surgery/Endourology and is vice-chair of the Department of Urology at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute. He also heads the section of Urology at the Asian Hospital.

Santok trained in Severance Hospital in Seoul, South Korea. Mendiola graduated with summa cum laude honors at De La Salle University-Manila with a BS Biology degree. Uy Magadia is a resident of urology at NKTI.

The handbook is meant to guide urologists towards more proficiency in MIS. It is intended as a guide for all practicing laparoscopic surgeons and trainees in the field of urology.

This is not a book for the general public but what a contribution to Philippine publishing in the medical profession. We have long lamented the fact that the curriculum in medical schools uses largely books written by foreign authors, so it is a significant development that hopefully will inspire other doctors.

*      *      *

Email: [email protected]