Filipinos have kept the flame of local Day of the Dead observances alive through the years, unextinguished by changing times nor dampened by generational differences.
The time-honored tradition of Undas (a collective term for All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day), however, is not without some welcome innovations.
The living have learned to adapt to a range of contemporary circumstances to pay respects to their departed loved ones, whether that means living abroad, working remotely, or self-isolating.
Others have simply found new ways to honor the dead, using both technology and creativity to remember their relatives in a different light.
As locals breathe new life into tradition, here’s what Undas looks like in the year of our Lord, 2025.
New normal
Though the COVID-19 pandemic may seem a distant memory, with face shields and lockdowns now relics of the past, its effects remain tangible and deeply felt. Most notably, it transformed workplaces to accommodate hybrid and remote arrangements.
People with laptops hooked to mobile hotspots are no longer an uncommon sight in final resting places, as those unable to take the day off finish their shifts among tombstones. Conference call visits to cemeteries have likewise become a familiar scene, first born out of pandemic travel restrictions and now embraced by Filipino migrants halfway around the world.
In the case of one airline worker whose sibling died in 2021, their family held a virtual wake, followed by 24/7 Zoom calls to connect with faraway relatives. They later booked and spent an out-of-town vacation during Undas to posthumously fulfill their late family member’s dying wish of going to the beach.
New school
On TikTok Shop, sellers trade flowers, candles, and even foldable mats for cemetery siestas—all marketed in time for Undas.
Elsewhere on the short-form video platform, content creators post vlogs, voiceovers and the like. These range from candle fire safety PSAs and singing Aljur Abrenica POVs, to atang (food offering) skits and even morbid legal advice.
Meanwhile, one church community has turned documenting family histories into a fun family activity and regular Undas tradition. Through genealogy apps, they’ve managed to trace ancestors, search for names, uncover hometowns, and preserve family stories through uploaded records and oral retellings.
Finally, a more familiar practice today is sharing tributes on social media: Facebook posts and Instagram stories filled with photos, memories, and heartfelt words of longing for those who have crossed over.
Upon reflection, it isn’t advanced technology that sustains the relevance of Undas year after year, but rather the human instinct to remember, to connect, and to keep the dead among the living — if only in spirit.
