Over the last few days, my Facebook feed has been filled with pictures of my friends in Halloween costumes. Taking their kids trick or treating, workplace costume parties, and other general Halloween shenanigans are a common reason to dress up like something you're not, eat lots of candy and have fun. As I look at the photos, I've chuckled to myself at some of my friends' witty costumes and wondered what I would be if I were back in the States.
In the Philippines, Halloween isn't the holiday of October 31st. Instead it's All Soul's Day. It's not just a name change either, but a meaning change. How All Soul's Day is celebrated is people go to the graves of their loved ones and eat their favorite foods, hang out with family and essentially party all through the night. The belief is to honor those ancestors that have passed and to bless them with their favorite things since they are stuck there in the grave. So October 31st, the graveyards are filled. It's essentially one big party, complete with cotton candy vendors and children running around with glowsticks.
A few days before, I asked my Filipino friend if she would go to the graveyard for that day. She said, "No, I know their body may stay in the grave, but I their soul doesn't so what's the point?" My friend speaks from the hope of Christianity. The hope is that the grave is not the end for us, but all people have a final destination after: heaven or hell. As a Christian, we look forward to the hope of glory that is heaven someday.
While in American Christianity we look for the same hope, I think it's less pronounced when there's not that cultural thing for it to be so different from. We stand brightest and most clear when our culture gives us a reason to stand out and stand apart.
So I stand reminded that my soul has a home. It's not this body nor the grave. My family won't have to visit me one day after I'm six feet deep nor leave my favorite food for me. Because someday, I'll be in Heaven celebrating at the Great Wedding Feast, where I'm sure my favorite food will already be in abundance and the company will be out of this world.
