ALL SAINTS’ AND ALL SOULS’ DAYS

Festive but solemn and prayerful at Eternal Gardens

ALL Saints’ Day on ­November 1 and All Souls Day on November 2 are among the hap­piest days of the year for many families. It is a time for getting to­gether with family members who flock to cemete­ries and memorial parks across the country to honor departed loved ones and remember them with much love.

All Saints’ Day is an important day in many Catholic countries. As the Philippines is the world’s third largest Catholic country, the country celebrates All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days with great enthusiasm and zest.

It has been said that All Saints’ Day in the Philippines is celebrated in a similar way as in other former Spanish colonies, like Mexico. People gather together at family plots in ce­meteries where they hold a family reunion and groups of an extended family share food that they have brought potluck and fill the day with music and laughter as they share anecdotes about the departed.

At the end of the day, people will often stay overnight and camp nearby their departed loved ones. Foreign visitors find this un-usual and would comment  that ­Filipinos are feeling quite at home among their dead relatives.

At Eternal Gardens, the faithful are ever reminded of the need to keep solemn  and prayerful for the annual ritual of honoring the dead even as the family rejoices over reuniting with loved ones. Visitors to the parks are not allowed to forget that the true meaning of the two holidays is to honor and remember departed loved ones with prayers.

This policy of keeping solemn the observance of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days was set by company founder Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua since he established the company in 1976. In its 43 years in the memorial business, the parks under its umbrella have been prayerful places during these holidays.

The concept of ma­king the resting place of the departed places of solemnity and piety is based on the church’s earliest teach-ings. In the olden days, the burial grounds for the dead were second only in sacredness to churches, which is why they were called “camposanto” or holy place.

Alongside the Ambassador’s belief in the holiness of burial grounds, his vision had been to provide the Filipino family with a modern memorial park, a better alternative to the public or church-run cemeteries that had been the usual recourse of Filipinos. Early on, he recognized that the cemeteries run by local government units or the church could not meet the needs of a fast burgeoning population. The congestion in cemeteries would not bring about the sense of piety and solemnity required for honoring the dead.

With its well-kept grounds, orderly plots and lawns, lush surrounding greenery and beautiful landscaping, Eternal Gardens of-fers the air of solemnity that he envisioned.

ART AND FAITH COMBINED

Art and religion combined has been the corporate trademark of Eternal Gardens.  Artistically crafted religious images standing high over beautifully landscaped plazas are not only decorative. They also serve to enhance one’s sense of piety and solemnity and remind visitors that departed loved ones are in the company of holy men and women.

From its first park in Baesa, Caloocan, to the 11th, Eternal Gardens in the City of Cabuyao in Laguna, a soaring image of the Transfiguration of Jesus looms over the entrance as the company’s symbol of excellence. The Transfiguration, a landmark in each city that hosts an Eternal Garden branch, is ranked among the greatest works of National Artist Napoleon V. Abueva.

Images of saints and holy men and women  masterfully crafted by well-known Filipino sculptural artists  further strengthen the sense of being on sanctified ground. They dominate plazas and squares named in their honor in the parks.

Among the most popular religious images in the Eternal Gardens parks are those of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Santo Nino or Holy Infant Jesus, holy men such as San Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint, Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, and Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo, another Filipino on her way to sainthood.

These plazas featuring sculpted images of holy men and women make  each park a repository of art and culture, a virtual muse-um of religious art.

ORDER AND SECURITY AT THE PARKS

On these two busy days, Eternal Gardens management sees to it that the safety and comfort of visitors are ensured in all its branches.

Aside from the usual security personnel at the parks, additional guards are deployed in each of them starting on Oct. 31 until Nov. 2. Besides security, the company also requests assistance from the local governments of the cities hosting its branches on keeping orderly the vehicular and pedestrian traffic going to and from the parks.

In these many ways, Eternal Gardens fulfills its commitment to maintain safety and security, solemnity and piety in the parks for the benefit of the Filipino families who trek to the parks yearly to honor de-parted family members and relatives on All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.