FamilySearch: Keeping the Undas Tradition Alive

All Soul's Day, commonly known as "Undas" in the Philippines, is celebrated every November 2 by Christians all across the world to remember deceased loved ones. For many people, Filipinos included, this means visiting the cemeteries to light candles and offer flowers on the graves of family members. With the onset of the pandemic, however, many families have chosen to honor their ancestors in different ways. 

FamilySearch, the world's largest genealogical organization, offers a plethora of in-home activities families on their website that Filipino families can do during the Undas season to help commemorate their deceased loved ones. Speaking about FamilySearch's efforts to preserve family histories, Felvir Ordinario, Philippines FamilySearch Manager, shared:

Undas is a celebration rooted in our innate yearning to connect with and belong to families. FamilySearch continuously creates inspiring experiences that enable people to act on that deeply-rooted longing. We believe that there is much joy and fulfillment in store for people who engage in family history.

Under the "Activities" tab of FamilySearch.org are suggestions of activities that can help foster family connections. Below are some examples:

• Eat What They Ate. Eating the same foods your ancestors ate is a great way to connect with them and to experience in one small way what their life was like. You can learn or create your own family recipe. As a family, you can also try eating traditional food that your ancestors ate.

• Feel What They Felt. When you try to understand what life was like for an ancestor, you see him or her differently. You can go through documents or family heirlooms and take time to think about what it must have felt like to be living in their shoes. Take time to learn more about historical events that have happened when your ancestors were alive.
• Walk Where They Walked. When you visit a place either in person or virtually where your ancestors lived, it helps you feel connected to them. Visit places that your parents or grandparents lived: a home, a school, a church, a grave, etc. If your circumstances don't allow, visit those places virtually using Google Maps or Google Earth.

• Touch What They Touched. Touching family heirlooms and learning their history creates a bridge between past and present generations. As a family, walk through each room in your home and look for things that belonged to family members from long ago. Discuss each object, who it belonged to, how old it is, and the story behind it.
• Hear What They Heard. Hearing ancestors’ voices helps us bond with them in a special way. When you hear a story from their point of view, you can better connect with them.

To learn more about fun activities you can do, visit Discovery.FamilySearch.Org. 

For Yolanda Villegas of the Olongapo Philippines Stake (diocese) trying out the different FamilySearch activities was a fun experience. She shared, "The feature Map My Ancestors helped me discover that some of my ancestors came from as far as Marinduque. I’ve always thought that they all came from Zambales. This is so exciting to know!” 

To Ardeth Donato Nemenzo from the Tuguegarao South Philippines Stake expressed how becoming more engaged in FamilySearch activities has also blessed her life: “As I found more memories and stories about my family, I was inspired to be more diligent in work and in school. Family history gave me the feeling of being loved by my ancestors."

For Dr. Cecille Cayetano-Angelia from Ibaan, Batangas, engaging in FamilySearch gave her additional purpose in life. She shared, "FamilySearch enlightened me about [this feeling I had] which roused me to start searching for my ancestors in 2018. I found reassurance that finding and connecting with my ancestors is in fact one of the important purposes in my life."

About FamilySearch

FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. It is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since 1894, FamilySearch has worked with archives, libraries, and churches in over 100 countries to facilitate economical access to records that help people find their ancestors.

Every month, over 3 million people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. These records and services are available online at FamilySearch.org, or through over 4,600 family history centers in 126 countries, including the renowned Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.