Independence Parade Or Prayer For The Dead

November 2nd, 2008 |By Marvia Lawes in: Panama Culture, Panama Religion |

Independence (Flag Day) Parade Or Prayer For The Dead? Panama’s Soulful Dilemma

I could not believe the huge crowd I saw this morning outside Mount Hope Cemetery, Colon Panama. Not to mention the large number of vendors selling flowers. And I had no camera to capture the sight. I wondered which celebrity was being buried this early. I forgot everything about All Souls Day. I can’t seem to get use to the fact that Panama’s national religious affiliation is Roman Catholic (Christianity). So many religious holidays are public holidays as well (such as Mother’s Day on 8th December)

So people flocked to cemeteries right across the country today. It brought back to mind my recent visit to the cemetery on Isla Colon in Bocas Del Toro. So I’m using the opportunity to share photos from the Bocas trip with this story. And I’m sure you’re wondering what I was doing touring a cemetery in Bocas. Wait, I’ll soon get back to that.

My members are always happy to educate me on local customs. So they informed me that yesterday November 1 was All Saints Day and today November 2 is All Souls Day (Día de los Muertos) or Day of the Dead (Dia de los Difuntos).The vendors I saw at the cemetery gate were selling flowers to the numerous relatives who would turn up today to pay special tribute to their loved ones.

In Roman Catholic tradition, Day of the Dead is connected to their doctrine on Purgatory. Thus prayers offered on this day are in keeping with their teachings on All Souls Day at New Advent:-

The theological basis for the feast is the doctrine that the souls which, on departing from the body, are not perfectly cleansed from venial sins, or have not fully atoned for past transgressions, are debarred from the Beatific Vision, and that the faithful on earth can help them by prayers, almsdeeds and especially by the sacrifice of the Mass.

In keeping with those teachings, local persons flock the cemeteries to pray for their departed loved ones, clean up the area around the graves, place flowers on the graves and sometimes even leave food as well. It is an all day event that sometimes gets a little festive. I don’t suppose there was much festivity this year at all as the rain really poured here in Colon.

There was some ‘conflict of interest’ taking place this year though. Apparently, when All Souls Day falls on a Sunday as it does this year, the prayers etc are supposed to be offered on November 3. But let me tell you, I don’t see prayers for the dead getting in the way of Panama’s Independence celebrations at all. Tomorrow, November 3rd is Flag Day, and its the main day for Panama City’s Parade. Who will be praying for the dead on November 3rd?

Tonight, for the 3rd year in a row I had to miss the Torch Light Ceremony in Colon. This is a solemn parade by the Fire Department or “Bomberos“, commemorating the Day of the Dead. I hear it is a beautiful ceremony where the lights in the city are turned off and there is a parade of the fire fighters and staff of the Fire department marching with torches. Sounds awesome doesn’t it? Well it rained. And I was not in the mood for dark streets on a rainy night. Ah ah. Nope.

Oh before I go, the Isla Colon, Bocas del Toro cemetery tour….Well it happened like this.

We were taken to see the beachfront property where the old manse of the Beautiful Zion Baptist church once stood. This property (like most of the property on Isla Colon) was sold to foreign investors who wanted to build a hotel. After they sold it, the sea claimed almost half of the land along that portion of the coast. The cemetery was almost next door to the manse.

This happened about 3 years ago a couple months before I came here because I heard the news at the time of bodies and bones from the cemetery being washed up in the sea. Eeewwwww. (shudder shudder). We arrived at the back of the property looking at the cemetery and then came around to the front and saw this gate below. I simply had to go in.

Well, you know what happens when a history-loving-shutter-happy-discovery-channelist-tourist in hat, glasses and a backpack has a camera in her hand.

I did conclude that their graves were different from how they are at Mt. Hope. They use more sepulchers in Bocas. Families could partition off a section and turn it into a private garden like in the picture above. The ants carrying flower petals were missing. However, just like Colon the headstone plays a very important role in the national lottery! And if you don’t know what I’m going on about then you need to read about Funeral Rites and Wrongs I’ve learnt since being here in Panama.