Longest Honor Rites For The Dead in Betis

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GUAGUA — Residents of this town's Betis district started going to the nearby Betis Catholic Cemetery to clean the tombs of their department relatives and loved ones in preparation for the longest remembrance of the dead.

Betis District was once a proud town of seven barangays but is now merely a part of Guagua.

The district is known for the observance of the longest honor rites for the dead, highlighted by nine days of church masses at the Santiago Apostol Church in Guagua.

Here, locals visit their departed loved ones for nine days starting on November 1, which is All Saints' Day.

Masses at the Santiago Apostol Parish will be attended by the devotees before going to the cemetery.

While others set aside leftover candles after the November 1 occasion, folks of the district would continue honoring the dead, praying for them with family members.

They do this for nine days, starting November 1 until November 9.

During this time, the public cemetery is a virtual whitewash as most graves are painted in immaculate white.

Mausoleums are given fresh sweep, some even with the luxury of curtains and air-conditioning units.

Precy Cunanan, a resident of Betis, said they have been observing the tradition for a long time and considered the longest observance of All Souls' Day.

The tradition includes the offering of a nine-day novena at St. James the Apostle Church, which a majority of the residents strictly observe.

But unlike the usual November 1 celebration, the highlight of the tradition is the last day of the novena.

The event includes a morning mass and the blessing of graves in the nearby cemetery.

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