Millions of Filipino Christians visit cemeteries on All Saints’ Day
2023.11.01
Masantol, Philippines
Millions of people braved the elements Wednesday to visit the gravesites of loved ones across the Philippines as Asia’s only mainly Catholic country marked All Saints’ Day, which honors and celebrates the dead.
Filipinos began observing the religious holiday during the previous few days, although it officially fell here on Nov. 1.
In Masantol, a town in northern Pampanga province, visitors struggled to reach their family members’ burial plots and tombs because the cemetery was submerged in stagnant floodwaters. Pampanga is a low-lying province highly susceptible to floods.
Upon reaching their loved ones’ graves, people lit candles and offered flowers and prayers to their dearly departed. But the usual banter and mini-family reunions that are a common sight on this Christian holiday were cut short by the intermittent rain, which drove many to scatter and leave the cemetery.
As dusk began to set in, latecomers arrived to pay their respects. The soft glow of candles bathed their faces in a bright orange.
They said they hoped to visit a dry cemetery on All Saints’ Day next year. But if flooded conditions persist, they said, they’d have to move the remains of their loved ones elsewhere.
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