All Soul's and All Saint's Day

All Soul’s and All Saint’s Day are big holidays here in the Philippines. Usually the entire family gets together and spends either one day or more (sometimes sleeping overnight) at the cemetery. From what I understand some people throw huge parties, but recently there have been some laws and rules put in place to keep the noise and drunkenness down. But most people just spend time picnicking, saying prayers, and spending some quality time with the family. David and I were able to spend October 31 at the cemetery, visiting his grandparents, and multiple aunts and uncles who have died. We also met and spent time with tons of his living relatives.

Manila Memorial Park:

Tents are put up around the burial sites for the family to picnic:

While visiting the cemetery is a Filipino tradition, David's father's side of the family is ethnically Chinese. The red candles and incense represent the Chinese tradition of honoring the dead. Below is a picture of the grave of David's paternal grandparents.

Another Chinese tradition is the burning of paper money, first for the gods, and then for the deceased. Here is what some of the money for the gods looks like:

Burning the paper:

After all the money is burnt, we get to eat!

I truly enjoyed this new way of celebrating the October 31-November 2 weekend. Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday, mainly because it involves two of my favorite things: candy and creativity. But as I’ve learned more about Dia de los Muertos, and now the Filipino-Chinese traditions as well, I am deeply impressed by the beauty in using this holiday to honor and remember the dead, to spend time with family, living and deceased, in a joyful (instead of sorrowful or fearful) way. I hope this tradition is something I can take back with me to the United States and share with my own family one day.