Cultivating Spaces for Ancestral Healing with Undas 2024 🪔
By Jaeya Bayani
Photo by Jy Jimmie Gabiola
Balay Kreative Presents: Ancestor Altars 2024 is an afterlife celebration in honor of the traditional Filipino holiday, Undas, that is set to take place on November 2, 2024, at Kapwa Gardens. Originally launched in October 2022, the art installation is intentionally designed to offer a public space for collective healing and grief to transpire, as well as commemorate our community’s loved ones who have transitioned post-pandemic and beyond.
Balay Kreative recognizes their social responsibility to help cultivate environments where resources for mental health and grief support are diverse, accessible, and abundant.
“That’s just such an honor for the community to recognize him and that we could share this special moment and event together…to have his likeness drawn by EMAGN the artist…it was just something I could never explain what it meant.”
Video by Kurt Ison + Iggy Mora
Ancestor Altars is a free San Francisco Filipino community event that is open to all ages. In previous years, we’ve thoughtfully curated a lineup of creatives and practitioners to nurture this event—including musical artists, visual artists, and professional death doulas.
Photos by Jy Jimmie Gabiola
“…our ancestors are not just the physical displays of photographs and relics found on these altars. They are portals to our past bridges between generations and the embodiment of our collective memory.”
Video by Kurt Ison
More About Undas
Undas – also known as “Araw ng mga Patay” in Tagalog, or “All Souls' Day” – is a holiday honoring the dead that is widely celebrated in the Philippines. Filipinx families traditionally hold gatherings around the graves of their departed loved ones and lay out flowers and candles. In between prayers, stories about those who have passed on are shared, and some families will even bring their magic mic and a small TV for some karaoke/video sessions after the prayers.
Undas being celebrated in the Philippines, Photos courtesy of Manny Angeles / Daily Tribune
Undas is a public acknowledgment and an opportunity to eulogize those who came before and those who have transitioned on.
Photos by Jy Jimmie Gabiola
This project brings the opportunity to heal through art and community with the intention to celebrate our ancestors, absorb the lessons and stories we learned from them, and open channels to receive any messages and wisdom with love and respect.
Photos by Jy Jimmie Gabiola
We are asking community members across the San Francisco Filipinx, BIPOC & SOMA communities to help create our Ancestor Altars. We are also requesting folks to provide us with pictures, names, and stories of beloved souls who have passed on.
The 2023 Virtual Ancestor Altars Gallery would not have been possible without everyone’s submissions to Ancestor Altars 2023:
We urge all of our kapwa to participate in this meaningful and beautiful observance of ancestral love and cultural heritage.
SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.
Photos by Kaithleen Apostol