PHILIPPINES: Families gather in crowded cemeteries to pay homage to the dead on All Saints' Day

Record ID: 249555

  • Title: PHILIPPINES: Families gather in crowded cemeteries to pay homage to the dead on All Saints' Day
  • Date: 2nd November 2010
  • Summary: MANILA, PHILIPPINES (NOVEMBER 1, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CANDLES AND FLOWERS WITH STATUE OF VIRGIN MARY WITH WOUNDED JESUS
  • Embargoed: 17th November 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Philippines
  • Country: Philippines
  • Topics: Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA7THRFCI7Q2S30UK0ALNKKM4F8
  • Story Text: Millions of Filipinos packed into cemeteries on Monday (November 1) as the Philippines marked All Saints' Day with a mixture of reverence and celebration.
    Grave-goers jostled for room as they camped out by tombstones to pay respect to their departed loved ones in the yearly Catholic celebration of the saints and the dead. A public holiday, All Saints Day is a time for taking solace in remembering those that have passed.
    "It eases the pain because once a year, on these days, we get the chance to remember our loved ones," said construction company employee Emir Guarin.
    Local television reported that up to 50,000 people had already poured into Manila North Cemetery, one of the city's biggest, as early as Sunday (October 31) afternoon to camp around the graves of their relatives. Up to two million people are expected to head into the 54-hectare site throughout Monday.
    "I make an effort to come here even if it isn't All Souls' Day, especially on our anniversary," said widow Rosalina Masajo who had travelled to Manila North Cemetery with her family to pay tribute to her dead husband and son.
    The cemeteries have taken on a carnival-like atmosphere with vendors setting up stalls within the grounds. As families prayed over their loved ones' graves, candles were lit upon tombstones, colourful flowers arranged around burial plots, and plates of food passed around picnic-style.
    With many Filipinos scattered across the country, or having moved to urban areas or abroad for employment, Filipino families use the holiday as a time to reunite, often getting together to have meals and share stories.
    For many the cemetery visit remained a solemn affair. Widower Rosolito Mendiola came to remember his wife.
    "I love my wife dearly but God took her away from us early. Now I'm alone in looking after our daughter," he told Reuters.
    Around the cemeteries, effort is being made by visitors to incorporate the spirits of dead relatives into the festivities by singing songs to them and playing games around their tombstones.
    The Western tradition of Halloween, which some Filipinos observed the day previous, does not escape the celebrations with many donning fancy dress and making up their faces with elaborately painted designs. In line with the theme, a novelty pink coffin was displayed in Manila North Cemetery for visitors to come and take photographs with.
    "By placing this coffin here we're taking away the fear of death. People initially think it's something frightening or weird," said Efren Respeto, a salesman of 'death care' insurance.
    The coffin proved a hit with the curious and with young visitors in particular.
    "At least, for me, I've now had the experience to know how it feels to lay in a coffin," said college student Jheo Ilustre.
    With the large crowds in mind, Philippine police beefed up security around cemeteries nationwide, deploying over 111,000 troops across the country. Knives were confiscated upon entry and alcohol and gambling bans have been put into place.
    However, behind the reverence and celebration is the worry that the graveyards around the country may no longer be able to take the strain put onto them by the Philippines' spiraling population.
    The country is one of the fastest growing in Asia and city authorities are increasingly concerned that the space in their cemeteries may soon no longer be enough to accommodate the growing number of yearly celebrants and demand for new plots.
    The death rate in Manila in 2009 was pegged at 9.06% for every 1,000 people in a country of over 90 million.
    Death in the Philippines also comes at a increasingly large price with burials in some of the more exclusive memorial parks costing up to 500,000 pesos ($11,700), up from 50,000 ($1,200) in recent years. Such costs can be considered a small fortune in a country where more than a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line.
    With an increase in demand for space comes the supply of 'apartment-style' entombments set against the wall, which can be leased out with five-year renewable contracts in various urban cemeteries.
    Meanwhile, larger tombs for the wealthy can come equipped with sinks, toilets and kitchen areas to accommodate the large number of visitors that sometimes come for days at a time.
    All Saints' Day, coupled with All Souls' Day on November 2, pays homage to the Catholic saints and the souls of the dead. It is also believed that the prayers of people left behind in this world can help purify the souls of those departed and help them out of a purgatory state into heaven.
    Both days, which are celebrated by Catholics worldwide , are honoured yearly in this Southeast Asian country, which has one of the largest Catholic populations in the world.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register