By
Dale Calanog
People say All Saints’ Day is the complete
opposite of Christmas, but for the
families in St. Francis of Assisi Memorial Park in General Trias, Cavite, it’s
like celebrating Christmas with the dead. For them, every family affair is
worth celebrating and although some tears had to be shed, the spirit of joy and
thanksgiving does not lack one bit.
At the center of the memorial park is a
grass field which could actually be mistaken for a football field if one does
not spot the hundreds of tombstones planted on the ground. The grass field is
comparable to the UP Sunken Garden, only smaller and is surrounded by
mausoleums, smaller version of the buildings circling the UP Sunken Garden.
Kids are unfazed by the blinding heat from the sun as they jump, run, and roll
in the grass field. Many of the Filipinos’ most-loved street food can also be
found in the kiosks placed around the memorial park.
The fun does not stop at sunset. The annual
lighting of the hot-air balloons is an event families don’t want to miss.
Hot-air balloons of red and green ink are lighted and made to float in air with
a message dedicated by a family to a departed loved one. This is then followed
by a firework display adding more color to the already colorful evening painted
by the glowing accessories of the kids. The party is made complete with a cold serenata (serenade) from the park’s
orchestra group.
