Wakes are wonderful diplays of Filipino customs. It showcasts the traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation. Some are really splendid dislays of affection toward the dead, others are just really plain comical and have no significance to the occassion whatsoever.
Perhaps influenced by the Chinese traders in our history, Filipinos are known to be clannish like them. At a wake, relatives who seldom see each other gathered to pay their respects to the deceased family and offer their condolence to the bereaved family thus making it an instant family reunion of some sort. Mostly, unscrupulous kins find themselves in a spotlight because they are recognized as the member who is connected through this person or that person.
Some practices include not sweeping the floor for the whole duration of the wake. I really don't know why. Another is to let the children hop over the coffin during the interment of course with help from the adults. This is done so that noone from the members of the family would die soon after. Another is the practice of having someone awake for the whole day to watch over the dead. According to some people, tears from anyone, whether member of the family or friends, should not fall on any part of the coffin.
The wake is something like a feast. There's always food and lots of people. Most wakes do have games played almost the whole time. Some, to raise money for the wake itself, others just to keep some people awake.
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