I am posting in my blog with the writer's consent selected ethnography penned creatively by my students to contribute to the emerging sub-discipline of anthropology called 'Virtual Ethnography'.
Basically, virtually ethnography is also referred to as Webnography. We cannot deny the fact that with increasing use of technology and the Internet, there is now a demand for online spaces on various ethnographic accounts.
Ethnography By Seth Yao
Wake
This word actually comes from the Middle English period, where it referred to a period of not sleeping while holding a vigil over a corpse. I have personally witnessed these things since three of my grandparents have died in the past three years. My grandparents on my father’s side have both passed away over after another two years ago. My dad or at least one of my aunts or uncles would be watching over the body of my grandparents every minute of every day for at least one week. My cousins and I would fold paper into the shape of money and other things my grandparents would need in their afterlife while our parents entertained the guests. Meanwhile, Buddhist monks would regularly come in to recite their prayers over the dead.
Being Chinese-Filipino, I find myself in the middle of a fusion of cultures. The rites I have just mentioned are perfect examples of this phenomenon. Just like most Catholics, we hold wakes for the dead where they are mourned, prayed for, and people come to terms with their passage into the afterlife. Like the Taoists, joss paper is folded in the shape of money and other things the dead might need in their afterlife. Also, Buddhist monks come into the wake to recite their prayers regularly.
The first thought that popped into my head after hearing the word “wake” was the result of a certain event, e.g. when a tornado passes and leaves destruction in its wake. Of course, that example seems a little grim. With that thought echoing in my head, I stepped into my first couple of wakes. There, I saw everyone whose life my grandparents have touched, souls that have been left a little lonelier in the wake of the passing of my grandparents. These people reminisce together in a room that doesn’t just mourn the death of a loved one, but also celebrate the life of that person. They find comfort in knowing that there are others who have lost what they lost and acknowledge the temporary nature if human existence. Funeral
Of all the funeral ceremonies, the one for my grandmother is freshest on my mind. On that day, I remember quite clearly how my parents kept emphasizing the need for respect. They understood that we grew up in a variety of customs and traditions that normally didn’t perfectly coincide. Therefore, we were expressly told to do as the rest of the clan was doing and be as open-minded about the entire affair as possible. I set out with the rest of my family all dressed in white, save for the black pins on our chests. We sat through several rituals in the funeral home such as Buddhist practice of relatives pouring water into an overflowing cup as monks were chanting, Christian prayers over the dead, and Taoist incense burning in reverence to the passing to relatives or loved ones.
Like most Filipinos, we also helped carry the coffin into the hearse and walked with it towards the cemetery for a while before we got into our cars and drove there in a convoy. Once there, we burned the sacks of folded joss paper to ensure the prosperity and comfort of my grandmother in the afterlife. Since both my grandparents died in less than a year, our entire clan hopped over an open flame several times each in order to ward off evil spirits and misfortune that has befallen us in the form of two consecutive deaths in the family. Then, we offered more incense sticks, prayers, and chants in her honor, and then we shared a meal before each family went their separate ways. As per tradition, my family went to a mall and spent the rest of the day there since it is part of our superstition that the spirit of the dead will follow you into your home if you go there straight after visiting a loved one that has passed away.
Babang-luksa
Just yesterday, the whole Yao clan celebrated what my father called “babang-luksa,” wherein everyone wore red, considered to be a festive color. This marked the end of wearing black pins and bleak colors to grieve for the loss of our beloved grandparents. This was supposed to happen a year ago, during my grandmother’s death anniversary. Since both my grandparents died in the span of less than a year, however, the grieving period extended to two years.
We shared a twelve-course meal with friends and relatives while we actually watched the Pacquiao-Mosley match on a big screen. Relatives from Taiwan, Cebu, and other places flew in to take part in the milestone of our family history. Between catching up with each others’ lives, complaining about the disappointing match, and chowing down on sumptuous dishes, a peaceful sense of gratefulness fell over the restaurant as each person in the room came to appreciate this wonderful group of people that my grandmother has brought together in all her warmth and kindness, even in her death. As the meal (and the 12-round fight) came to an end, each person walked away with his own cherished memory with “ama” (lola/grandmother) playing in his head over and over, reminding him that death is just another way of starting a new life.
No comments:
Post a Comment