All Saint's Day

Tonight I had the privilege of participating in a Filipino holiday known as All Saints Day. All Saints Day is a Catholic holiday celebrated on November 1 where family will go to cemeteries to honor their dead. They will light candles, leave a food offering, set up a flower display, etc. I had heard that it was quite the event with families bringing picnic lunches and dinners, playing games, and basically hanging out for the day in the cemetery. Bethany wanted to check it out and take some pictures, so Francis agreed to take us (side note: we drove there in Francis' buggy which doesn't have a top and it started pouring... we were soaked through by the time we got there). I had no idea what was in store. It was unreal. There were so many people. It was almost like a carnival-esque atmosphere. As you walked into the cemetery, there were people selling popcorn, candles, snacks, and light-up toys. Then, as you venture further into the cemetery, there were candles and light bulbs on almost every single grave. And the graves aren't lined up in neat little rows, the way you would expect them to be... no, there are graves everywhere - stacked on top of each other, down little alleyways, in large center spaces. I also learned that graves are only purchased for a period of 5 years or so... then, the body is removed and the bones are deposited in a common grave. There is simple not enough space for people to keep their burial site forever at the rate people are dying. When you look around at the date of death on the grave markers, there aren't any earlier than 2007. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to experience this. What a once in a lifetime opportunity. It was so beautiful. Bethany is an amazing photographer and captured the evening in the photos below.