The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-05-15
BURYING A FILIPINO
QUEER FUNERAL ETIQUETTE IN
THE PHILIPPINES.
Matters of Sickness and Death Are
Solemn to the Minds of the 10
landers, Yet They Appear
Peculiar.
BY MARY II. FEE.


(American Teacher in the PhiIlppInes.)
Flipinos are punctilious about many
things concerning which we have
passed the extremity punctilious stage.
Some of their strictest observances
are in the matters of sickness and
death.
The sick have what we would con-
slider a hard time" To begin with,
they are immured In rooms from
which, as far as possible, all light and
air are carefully excluded. In tropi-
cal climate, where the breeze is almost
indispensable to comfort, the reader
may imagine the result. Then all their
relatives, from far and near, flock to
see them, crowd the apartment and in
sist upon talking necessarily to keep
them from becoming lonesome. When
the sufferer finds this insupportable
and gives up the struggle to live, the
whole clan, out to the last connection.
set about preparing their mourning.
Every woman makes black dress and
every man ties a band of black cloth
around his white coat sleeve.
II there be wake it is noisy enough
to out-Irish the Irish. Our eastern
friends resemble the Irish also in their
love of a fine funeral. To go to the
last resting place escorted by a band
and with all possible ceremony seems
to make even death acceptable to
them.
Among the very poor this ambition
Is quite disproportionate to their re-
sources. The percentage of infant NOR
tality, owing to poor nutrition, Is es-
pecially high; yet babe after babe.
whose mother unwittingly starved 1t
to death, is given a funeral in which
the baby carriage hearse is preceded
by a local band, and hired mourners
stalk solemnly behind the little coffin
instead of the mother, who is dne. by
the rules of etiquette, to stay home.
In Manila funerals resemble our
own, save that the hearse, be 1t white
for a child or black for adult, is drawn
by stately caparisoned horses, at the
brides of which stalk men In eigh-
teenth century court costumes, which
include huge shoe buckles, black silk
stockings and powdered wigs. The
carriages flock behind with little pre-
tense of order and at a much sharper
pace than is customary with us. The
populace Is, however, most respectful,
rich and poor alike removing their
hats while the funeral cortege Is pass
ing.
In the provinces where there are no
hearses a funeral consists usually Of
a coffin carried on the shoulders Of
four men and followed by struggling
concourse of mourners. If the corpse
be that of child, it not infrequently
lies, gorgeously dressed, upon the blue
and pink beribboned cushions of four
wheeled baby carriage. New born
babes are buried in tiny little collins
covered with pink or blue muslin
usually pink. The Filipinos say that
when a child dies its pure little soul
goes straight to Gloria" wherefore it
is much to be congratulated upon leav-
ing this abode of sorrow for one of
unending happiness, and only gay fes-
tive music Is used at it's funeral. The
local bands play solely by ear, making
the most of whatever music they hear
sung or whistled in the streets, with
the result that strangely inappropriate
selections are used on these occasions.
At the first child's funeral ever saw
the band was playing "A Hot Time in
the Old Town." and friend to whom
related this fact assured me that at
the first one he ever saw they were
playing Il Don't Care If You Never
Come Back" But this seems toe
fortuitously happy to be true, though
1t is quite within the possible.
When had lived in Capiz "a town
on the north coast Of the island OF
Panay) a year or two my lavanderc
| (washerman) died, and his widow
pointing to numerous progeny, be
sought for an advance of five pesos
for necessary funeral expenses. She
wanted ten, but l refused to counte
nance such extravaganza. She did not
seem overcome with grief and>her Piles
| OF numerous offspring was really
valueless, for. IL anything, they were
| all better OF than before. Her lori
had been only sham washerman, any
way, collecting the garments for hel
to wash, delivering them and pocket
ing the returns, of which he gave hel
as small moity as would sustain lif,
and spent the rest in the cockpit.
| Funerals in the country, wher,
there are no preservatives, take place
very soon. The lavandero died a
dawn, his widow made her levy on m,
before seven o'clock. and coming hom'
that afternoon l met the funeral In ,
thickly-shaded lane. Local tradition
disapproves of near female relatives a
a funeral. so the dead mans escor
consisted only Of the four bearers AM
three small boys. all under IL years o
age. The coffin was one in general us
1 --rautad for tho frin RI tho comoforv