Death superstitions and beliefs

 TODAY is a great day to die! (Quote from the film "Flatliners")

I was contemplating on what blog to write today when i chanced upon the Facebook picture postings of a friend on tombstones in Thailand . Then i posted the following:

"Try to visit "deathclock.com." The screen is done in dark colors and interspersed with silhouette of a church and tombstones. In the center it provides an input box where, if you want, you can type in your birth date and your gender (a bare minimum of information for such a vital calculation). You then click the OK button to see "your personal date of death" ticking away in seconds. The website sells these clocks, its logo says "… friendly reminder that life is slipping away... second by second."

If I will submit the love story of my parents to “Maalaala Mo Kaya,” I will use the title “Kamatis.” The wedding line, “Till death do us part” will be replaced by “But death will not set us apart.” My mother, fondly called Mama Linda, died last year on May 17,  2002 due to pericarditis and lymphoma or cancer of the lymph nodes after almost a month of confinement at the Philippine Heart Center. A year and six months later, my father, Papa Ponching to many, died last year, November 16, 2003 a Sunday, due to pneumonia after being bedridden for almost eight months brought about by complications arising from an operation on his brain (hydrocephalus).

When i saw the movie Crying Ladies,  a heartwarming comedy film starring Sharon Cuneta and Angel Aquino,i guess every Filipino could relate the some of the scenes especially during the wake when Eric Quizon, the grieving son, has to relay the story behind the death of his father over and over again to the visitors, from one seat to another as if he is a replay of the previous scene the only difference is the person he was talking to. In DEd na Si Lolo, more than the superstitions, it was absurdly amusing how the family rationalized the traditions and worked their way around them.Yes, there’s fun in funerals. Even in grief, Filipinos never lose our sense of humor. Laughter helps us deal with our loss.In one way, it is good since it can be a form of releasing one's sadness. After having two funerals in two consecutive years, i realized that the said movies presented the "funny" side of death in the family.

I told some during the wake  that on  the day Papa died was watching TV during lunchtime , I said to myself “Papa kung di mo na kaya sige na sama ka na kay Mama.” During the times that I narrated to papa that I should have done more to keep Mama alive, Papa always told me that Mama did not want her heart to be opened. She was scheduled that day to undergo a major operation wherein the cover of her heart would be removed to prolong her life. Papa reassured me that I made the right choice not to continue with the revival of mama when she was in her death bed. I was asked by the doctors then if we still wanted to continue with the process of reviving her because she might be brain dead. Sabi nya “ Gusto mo bang makita nagdudusa mama mo?” then I said no. This came to my mind. If papa could only speak, babatukan nya ako at sasabihin masakit na sasama na ako kay mama.” The he died three hours later as if he just wanted me to give him the go-signal after being bed ridden for eight months .

SUPERSTITIONS AND BELIEFS RELATED TO DEATH 

 The Filipino daily way of life is encompassed by countless sayings, proverbs, and beliefs. People tend to work around the superstitions even if they were told they may be committing a sin. Many Filipinos believe in superstitions to avoid any negative consequences. They may be true; they may be not. 

-  If a black butterfly lingers around a person, it means that one of his relatives has just died.

- A beautiful flower or candle scent smelled in a home after a death of a beloved, means there's a spirit of the dead visiting who wants the relatives to know he/she's around. Pray for his/her soul

- If one dreams that one of his teeth is being uprooted or pulled out, a member of his family will die.

-  During a wedding the one whose candle goes out first will be the first of the couple to die.

- When a group of three have their picture taken, the one in the middle will die first.

- If a cock crows in the afternoon, it means somebody will die.

- Pregnant women should not have their picture taken; otherwise, their babies will die.

- When a pregnant woman wears a black dress, her baby will die.

-  If a person's shadow appears to be without a head, that person will soon die.

- Cleaning the backyard when the sun has already set and it is already dark causes death.

- If two people from the same family get married within a year, one will die.

- A coffin should be built to fit the corpse; otherwise, a family member of the deceased will soon die.

- Tears must not fall on the dead or on the coffin; this will make the dead person’s journey to the next world a difficult one.
- During a wake, never see your visitors off at the door of the chapel or funeral parlor.
- Do not sweep the house until after the burial.
- After the funeral service, do not go home directly so that the spirit of the dead person will not follow you to your house.
- When a dog is howling, making a spooky cry, it means that death is coming to someone.
- When sending a rosary with the corpse; cut it into pieces. This is believed to hinder anymore tragedy in the family

- If the dead person is a mother/father to an infant or a little child, pick up the child and pass him or her over the coffin, so the spirit won't appear to the child.
- When you are dreaming and a dead person asks you to come along with him/her, DON'T go.
  If a  person  meets a black cat, he will die.