Rest in feast : a community study of the cemetery, social practices and their meanings in Cabuyao,Laguna.

Date

4-2013

Degree

Bachelor of Arts in Sociology

College

College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Anonuevo, Augustus T.

Co-adviser

Boncocan, Rhina

Committee Member

Albacea, Zita VJ.

Abstract

This study sought to determine the rules and regulations governing the cemetery, examine the physical aspects of the cemetery, derive the demographic profile of the dead, analyze the signs found in the gravemarkers and look into social practices in celebration of undras in Cabuyao, Laguna. Observation, interview and use of existing public records were used for data collection while descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were utilized for data analysis. Arsenberg’s community-study method (1954) was used in conceptually constructing the cemetery as a community of the dead and the living. The main findings of the study are as follows: 1) Traditions rather than formal rules govern the cemetery and the conduct and practices of people in remembering the dead; 2) The cemetery is divided into three grave classifications as exhibited in the necrogeography and demography of the dead. These classifications reflect Cabuyao community’s socioeconomic division; 3) Gravemarkers of the dead reflect two highly regarded values in Filipino society: religiosity and family-centeredness. A trend towards individualization of gravemarkers is evident through the use of personal symbolisms on the markers; 4) The celebration of undras commemorates the dead wherein the preparation for the occasion and its celebration are seen as signs of respect and love to those who passed away. Undras as a social event gathers not only the living in a family reunion, it also fosters an enduring bond between the dead and the living. Nothing is a more straightforward illustration of the cemetery being the community of the dead and the living than the practice of undras. This study asserts that the cemetery should not only be viewed as a proxy community (an alternative population to study society) but should be regarded as a distinct community (a community of the dead and the living) worthy of a sociological study. This study provides a comprehensive framework based on which the cemetery can be studied as the community of the living and the dead. In order to analyze cemeteries holistically, the following are needed to be examined: its history, rules and regulations, necrogeography, demography, texts, signs and symbols found inside the cemetery, and the social practices that are situated in the burial grounds.

Language

English

Location

UPLB Main Library Cataloging Section

Call Number

LG 993.5 2013 S4 P37

Document Type

Thesis

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