CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Several public schools and convent academies in Pampanga hosted their respective Parade of Saints over the weekend in a bid to rid the hallowed tradition of All Saints' Day of spooky Halloween practices.
Schools in Santa Rita, Guagua, Porac and Lubao have been encouraging their students to don costumes of saints instead of scary costumes of ghosts and demons.
In Santa Rita, the Parade of Saints at Santa Rita Catholic School and Santa Rita College are yearly spectacles where students, dressed to represent their favorite saints, would parade along the major thoroughfares of the town.
Spectators and designated establishments are encouraged to give away candies and goodies to students who participate in the event.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) recently encouraged parents to dress their children "like saints and not like characters from the underworld" to create a deeper awareness on the lives of holy men and women.
In the Catholic Church's liturgical calendar, November 1 is the Solemnity of All Saints. The preceding eve is known as "All Hallow's Eve" or Halloween. The root word of Halloween -- "hallow" -- means "holy."
The Parade of Saints has become a practice of most parishes and schools as a way to redirect the observance of the said dates to their original intent.