Spending Halloween the Ilonggo style

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by Eunice Sheene Fulgencio
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BEFORE the Christmas tree, out come the cob webs, trick or treat candy and crazy Halloween costumes. Halloween: undeniably one holiday most, if not all, of us look forward to every year. It’s the perfect time to go all-out crazy embodying the Halloween spirit or the chance to catch up on sleep, family or just about anything that becomes neglected because of our hectic everyday lives. However, how do Ilonggos really celebrate this well-loved holiday?
1. Quality time with the family
It’s a no-brainer that the majority of us will be spending the Halloween (pseudo)break by bonding with the ones closest to us. Catching the latest movie, trying the newest restaurant, strolling the mall together or even just spending the day at home with a good home-cooked meal, any activity will be special if it’s spent with the people closest to our hearts. Turn off all mobile devices, disconnect from the internet and connect with actual individuals who we may or may not be with every day of our lives.
2. Get some much needed R & R
L-O-N-G WEEKEND! (for the ones fortunate enough) means heading to the spa for that massage your body’s been craving for months, do some much needed yoga to get the positivity flowing in you again or even just stay in bed for a couple extra hours. It is the perfect time to let the bum in you shine and be lazy to your heart’s delight. Who needs home-cooked meals when there’s a 24-hour fast food delivery service you can call at your convenience? Laundry needs to be done? That can wait until you’re up to your last clean item of clothing. The word “productivity” goes out the window and you couldn’t be more ecstatic.
3. Go to the hottest parties
Halloween brings some of the most awaited and sought-after parties of the year! What better avenue do you have to show off your sexy nurse costume, creepy zombie mask or the Harley Quinn-inspired makeup you have been dying to flaunt? You have the perfect excuse to dance (and drink) the night away (if you don’t already do that on a normal basis), have a good time with your friends and create a few good (some bad) memories with no guilty feeling afterwards. Just remember to stay close with people you know to avoid any “grave and mysterious” encounters you might later regret.
4. Catch a quick vacation
Aaaahh, long weekend. The chance to head up to the nearest vacation spot, cross out a few bucket list items and come back to the city feeling invigorated and ready to take on life’s everyday stressors. It doesn’t matter if it’s an overnight or a three day trip, your body and your soul will thank you for taking in a new environment. Better take this opportunity to get out of the city while you can because who knows when you’ll get the chance to do the same again?
5. Overtime at work
For the workaholic, no holiday is a good enough excuse to miss a day at work. Let them have their fun for now but you know for a fact that you will be the one victorious (and laughing all the way to the bank) in the end. You would rather spend this supposedly free time getting advanced work done, signing papers that need to be signed and ultimately scoring a few good points to the boss. You couldn’t be bothered with this “fun” everyone seems to be obsessed about because for you, your work is fun. You may be of a rare and endangered breed but the extra pay makes the bitter pill easier to swallow.
6. Visit our departed loved ones
Of course, we could never forget the true essence of Halloween. After you party or spend time with the family or overtime at work, one should never forget to pay their late relatives a visit. As Ilonggos, and as Filipinos, family is the most important to us, may they be in this lifetime or the other one. Don’t forget to bring flowers, candles and your prayers to their tombs and spend quality time with them. This is the perfect opportunity to take a break from our frantic everyday lives and reconnect with our loved ones who we could not be with for the time being./PN

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