They came in scarecrow style costumes, torn shirts over tattered denims over worn-out footwear, topped by “Balanggot” farmer hats with frayed open ends. Leaving the appointed meeting place, the Sariaya parish office, at about 5:30 that afternoon, the wacky-looking group already so amused at themselves, and still so conscious of the curious stares thrown their way, clambered noisily onto a waiting hired jeepney and rode about town in the gathering dusk, on a previously prepared route. It was October 30, 2005 and the Sariaya Tourism Council (STC) Officers and Board of Directors members were on their very first try at a fund-raising project to shore up on project contingencies. Mandated with the task of promoting Sariaya for tourism, the STC truly sank its teeth on its self-appointed role at spearheading the preservation and enhancement of Sariayahin local heritage.

The “Pangangaluluwa” in Sariaya is a tradition that old folks of today remember as more commonplace in their childhood years in the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s. November 1st was a much more solemn affair then as they reminisced it, as it was indeed a prayerful commune with the souls of dearly departed loved ones. No lighted electric bulbs on the graves and house-like mausoleums, no tent picnics or blaring sounds either, and none of the ultra festive atmosphere pervading nowadays as of yet. One old lady related that after bringing candles and flowers to the graves, she and her siblings trembled with dread at the thought of being awakened by their parents around midnight, to peek at the “Nangangaluluwa” from their windows. To the children’s eyes, they looked so hideously ghost-like because they were covered with white cloth from head down. Accordingly, they first prayed the “Ama Namin”, “Aba Ginoong Maria” and “Luwalhati”, in murmurs that resemble spine-tingling drones emanating from the grave. Then they sang the guitar accompanied traditional “Kaluluwang Tambing-Tambing”, with the mandatory giving of alms by the house owners towards the end. The alms collected reportedly went to the church for the masses that were intended for the good repose of all the souls, thus the rationale for the “All Soul’s Day” on the 2nd of November.

To a few however, remembering the “Pangangaluluwa” brought back chuckle-filled memories of carefree and happy-go-lucky adolescence, being the erstwhile mischievous lads of the late 1930s. While doing the “Pangangaluluwa” at the house of a “Caton Cristiano” (old pre school curriculum laced with religion) widowed-teacher, her son who is a “kabarkada’ would get downstairs and raid her unsuspecting mother’s native poultry, grabbing the nearest fowl by the neck to stifle its struggles. Then off they went to another “kabarkada” whose cooking prowess guaranteed that the unfortunate bird ended up into a big caldero of deliciously hot and gingery “Arroz Caldo”, for a delightful midnight snack! To Tagalog movie aficionados during the genre of those black and white comedies of the 50s and the 60s, that would surely ring a bell…….

Indeed, the Sariaya Tourism Council never dared such, yet the highly spirited group gave the November tradition an innovative twist, with entertainment value for the benefit of their prospective sponsors whom they bothered to send solicitation letters to, weeks before the activity. Except for the black apparels, the costumes were never the same with the years……. ghoulish and grotesque masks in 2006, orange and wacky “Hup! Holland! Hup!” Euro Cup headdresses for 2007, and black poncho-style attire with devilish make up and gel-hardened hair styles matched with witches’ broomsticks for 2008! Instead of the usual “Kaluluwang Tambing-Tambing” of yore, the group opted for a more upbeat and jolly-sounding repertoire of two Pangangaluluwa songs from Sitio Loob in the coastal Barangay of Bignay 1,….. the ghostly “Carmelita” set in a Carmelite monastery in Lipa, Batangas with souls on prowl for alms, and “Nandirito”, that tells about the plight of souls roaming around on All Souls’ Day. The first two stanzas of the fast paced, guitar-accompanied song goes as follows :

“Nandirito ngayon, Nandirito ngayon, Kaluluwang buhay,

Aawitan kayo ng mga awiting nanggaling sa hukay,

Ang pinanggalinga’y iba’t ibang parte ng sandaigdigan,

Kami ay sa langit, Kayo’y sa purgatoryo, Sila’y sa impiyerno.”

“Nang kami’y dumating, Nang kami’y dumating, sa balat ng lupa,

Sinalubong kami, Sinalubong kami, kayraming kandila,

Siyang nagsilbing tanglaw, Siyang nagsilbing tanglaw, sa aming paggala,

Hanggang sa dumatal, sa inyong harapan, butihing maybahay.”

Thus started, the song ends with the STC members modifying some of the lyrics since 2005 for identity :

“Ang katotohana’y, Kami ay samahan ng taga Turismo,

Bayan ng Sariaya, Bayan ng Sariaya ang tinagurian,

Tanging dasal namin, Kayo’y pagpalain sa inyong gawain,

Patnubayan kayo ng Poong Maykapal, habang nabubuhay!”

It was a sweaty and tiresome ordeal, continuously getting down and climbing up the high platform of the jeepney as they sang their way into the dark of night, through the mapped out route of at least 25 listed houses, for as long as four hours on end! And the 2008 version took even longer because their ghoulish journey, announced to the house owners by the howling of wolves (“Awooooooo!”) on cassette tape player, punctuated with the witchy “Hi-hi-hi” giggles from two of the girls with blinking red horned headdresses, took them ten or so kilometers south to Tayabas Bay-lapped Barangay Bignay 1 itself. But it was worth it since they got more than they expected from the envelopes previously handed, not to mention hearty snacks of spaghetti, ensaymada, pancit bihon, puto, kutsinta, tamales and even pastillas, downed with bottled water and Coke, care of some of their kind-hearted sponsors.

Most amusing was the way in which a motorcycle riding duo sped away from the “Thriller Night” looking group, their black ponchos flip-flapping in the wind amidst all the howling, and creaking of oversized bamboos on a darkened street across an erstwhile old, wooden, now concreted bridge called “Lambingan”, in Muntingbayan district.

For 2009, they plan to go medieval, donning monk-style apparel with lanterns, playing Gregorian Chant numbers on CD………. “Awoooooooooooo!”