DEATH AND BURIAL TRADITIONS OF

EARLY FILIPINOS
A funeral procession in the Funeral practices and burial customs

in the Philippines encompass a wide range of personal, cultural,

and traditional beliefs and practices which Filipinos observe in relation
to death, proper honoring, and remembrance of the dead.

Wake
When a person dies in the Philippines, Filipino Catholic people, such as
the Tagalogs, generally hold a wake known as lamay or paglalamay.

On the funeral day, the coffin is generally loaded into a hearse or borne by
family members, relatives, or friends in procession towards the church and later
the cemetery. Catholic funerals involve the celebration of the Mass.
The traditional color worn at memorial services is black. If white clothing is worn,
it is customary to sport a black mourning pin on the breast.
After the entombment, they offer prayers such as the rosary, for the dead
every evening for nine days, a custom called the pasiyam or pagsisiyam (literally,
to do for nine days). This novena often concludes with a service followed by
formal meal with family and friends.

Other practices
Superstitious beliefs surrounding death entail the sudden
appearance of certain animals, particularly those black in
color.

Examples are: the appearance of a lingering black

butterfly around an individual is an omen that a person's next
of kin has died; a sick person heading toward hospital who sees
a black-hued cat will not survive their condition; seeing
an owl near the home of a sick individual signifies the in firms

imminent death.
Other

beliefs

pertaining

to

death

are

related

to dreams, odors, and unusual shapes of certain objects,

children, and odd numbers. Breaking plates before removing
the coffin, making children walk under a hoisted coffin before
loading the latter onto the hearse, and burning dried leaves or
paper and applying the smoke to mourners' feet before
leaving the burial ground.