I must be lying when I said yesterday was a really lazy day for us. Why? Because we left DD at 2 pm and drove a considerable distance away. Well, not for an adventure, but to attend a wake of a mother who succumbed to a long battle with diabetes. She's 52. Her husband (the Farmboy's cousin) went ahead 3 years ago. He was 51. Too short a life for those two, but maybe it was meant to be so they wouldn't suffer any longer.
Along the way, we stopped by one of the landmarks for a photo opp.
Had a bit of fun testing a newly-purchased camera clip along the way. Yet to learn the technique on how to use it better.
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We had some more stopovers to enjoy some scenic mountains and farms. Mind you, while it was sunny, it was already chilly. The cold gets through the bones!
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And then we drove to the family's residence and stayed there for a few hours, participating in the mass services, and listening to people's anecdotes, jokes, puzzles, singing, and the like. Yes, these are part of the traditional mourning rituals in our region. It's how people give comfort to the bereaved family.
Wakes usually last for days (3, 5, 7, or even 9 days). This gives relatives from distant places and the community time to gather, offer their condolences, and pay their respects until the burial.
While writing this, I was suddenly reminded of my first cousin's husband from the Visayas, who wished to have his wake here when his time comes (when he dies), saying he observed how people value, respect, and love their dead, even spending hundreds of thousands until they are laid to rest.
Some say it is a crazy and costly tradition, and they are quite right. That's because we feed people (full meals, coffee, snacks, and such) every day until the burial is finished; hence, wakes here often cost more than the extravagant weddings in the locality.
I wonder if this will ever change, but it is a beautiful tradition, especially when the whole community comes together to give the bereaved family a helping hand, from preparing food (cooking to serving them) day in and day out. That alone is already heartwarming.
Anyway, we left the wake around 8 pm, as we needed to be home before the curfew hours. And we will truly have a lazy day today.