All Saints/Day of the Dead
A flower, a candle is important
Photo Sarilusi Tarifa King
In Equatorial Guinea we also celebrate the All Saints’ Day
and the Day of the Dead. For this reason, the reporters of www.guineaecuatorialpress.com have visited cemeteries and
churches in order to know how these days are celebrated in our cities.
On November 1, the Catholic Church has celebrated since the year 840 the holiday of All Saints. Before this date, there already existed a special day to remember and celebrate all the martyrs, until Pope Boniface IV transformed a Greek temple dedicated to all the gods (Parthenon) into a Christian temple, dedicating it precisely to “All the Saints”. Later, the holiday spread first to Europe and then the rest of the world.
Mass and family encounters
Sunday, November 1, All Saints’ Day, began with the celebration of a mass at the Cathedral of Malabo, a ritual that was repeated in other churches. The celebration was presided over by the city’s Archbishop, Ildefonso Obama, and was attended by other presbyters. The Archbishop’s homily was focused on the message and significance of this day of All Saints, reminding the many faithful present that God calls everyone to sainthood.
The reporters of www.guineaecuatorialpress.com asked the attendees at the ceremony about the significance that this holiday had for them, and how they were going to celebrate it. Most of them coincided in that, after participating in mass, their plan was to simply spend a nice day with the family.
On November 2, Day of the Dead, the cemetery of Ela Nguema, in Malabo, was the place visited by many people who wanted to remember their deceased family members this way. Looking at the visitors, we could see the different ways Equatorial Guineans have to remember those who are no longer with us. As in most countries, we could see that the bouquets of flowers were not lacking on the tombs, and how people tried to beautify and clean them. We also noticed the fact that there are many tombs of citizens originating from other countries, unmistakable sign that ours is a modern country that welcomes everyone.
It is now forbidden to take food and drinks to cemeteries
As a curiosity, in order to access the cemetery of Ela Nguema one must go through a security check where the guards make sure that people do not go in with drinks. The authorities have forbidden this regular practice that would provoke situations of disturbance of order. This is due to the fact that there are still many people that still believe that their deceased are still at their side, and therefore want to share their food and drinks with them. During our visit, and in spite of the security check we discovered that some of the tombs still had some food and drinks on top of them.
At nine o’clock in the morning, the cemetery church celebrated a mass in memory of all the deceased, which was also attended by the mayor of Malabo, María Coloma Edjang Mbengono, who had also participated in the religious event of the previous day. After the ceremony, Maria Coloma said to the press “the need for collaboration of the citizens to keep the cemetery clean, which is taken care of by city hall but still needs the right attitude from people”.
Edjang Mbengono concluded by sharing a reflection with all present about life, and the importance of living it serenely and with dignity, because, at the end, that place would be everyone’s final resting place.
Report:Sarilusi Tarifa King and Clemente Ela Ondo Onguene
Equatorial Guinean’s Press and Information Office (D.G. Base Internet)
Google.com
On November 1, the Catholic Church has celebrated since the year 840 the holiday of All Saints. Before this date, there already existed a special day to remember and celebrate all the martyrs, until Pope Boniface IV transformed a Greek temple dedicated to all the gods (Parthenon) into a Christian temple, dedicating it precisely to “All the Saints”. Later, the holiday spread first to Europe and then the rest of the world.
Mass and family encounters
Sunday, November 1, All Saints’ Day, began with the celebration of a mass at the Cathedral of Malabo, a ritual that was repeated in other churches. The celebration was presided over by the city’s Archbishop, Ildefonso Obama, and was attended by other presbyters. The Archbishop’s homily was focused on the message and significance of this day of All Saints, reminding the many faithful present that God calls everyone to sainthood.
The reporters of www.guineaecuatorialpress.com asked the attendees at the ceremony about the significance that this holiday had for them, and how they were going to celebrate it. Most of them coincided in that, after participating in mass, their plan was to simply spend a nice day with the family.
On November 2, Day of the Dead, the cemetery of Ela Nguema, in Malabo, was the place visited by many people who wanted to remember their deceased family members this way. Looking at the visitors, we could see the different ways Equatorial Guineans have to remember those who are no longer with us. As in most countries, we could see that the bouquets of flowers were not lacking on the tombs, and how people tried to beautify and clean them. We also noticed the fact that there are many tombs of citizens originating from other countries, unmistakable sign that ours is a modern country that welcomes everyone.
It is now forbidden to take food and drinks to cemeteries
As a curiosity, in order to access the cemetery of Ela Nguema one must go through a security check where the guards make sure that people do not go in with drinks. The authorities have forbidden this regular practice that would provoke situations of disturbance of order. This is due to the fact that there are still many people that still believe that their deceased are still at their side, and therefore want to share their food and drinks with them. During our visit, and in spite of the security check we discovered that some of the tombs still had some food and drinks on top of them.
At nine o’clock in the morning, the cemetery church celebrated a mass in memory of all the deceased, which was also attended by the mayor of Malabo, María Coloma Edjang Mbengono, who had also participated in the religious event of the previous day. After the ceremony, Maria Coloma said to the press “the need for collaboration of the citizens to keep the cemetery clean, which is taken care of by city hall but still needs the right attitude from people”.
Edjang Mbengono concluded by sharing a reflection with all present about life, and the importance of living it serenely and with dignity, because, at the end, that place would be everyone’s final resting place.
Report:Sarilusi Tarifa King and Clemente Ela Ondo Onguene
Equatorial Guinean’s Press and Information Office (D.G. Base Internet)
Google.com