Millions honour the dead on All Saints’ Day in Philippines

Millions across the Catholic Philippines trooped to cemeteries to honour their dead in typically festive fashion on All Saints’ Day on Friday, ignoring appeals from the church to keep the day solemn.

Police in the capital Manila were on full alert, as their warnings for the public not to bring alcoholic beverages, loud portable stereos, knives and other deadly weapons to gravesites were largely ignored.

There was heavy security in sea- and airports as well as bus terminals, with many residents of major cities rushing to return home to their villages and provinces for “day of the dead” commemorations.

The Christian tradition dates back to the ancient practice in Rome, which honours all saints and martyrs who died for the faith. All Souls’ Day, the day after, is often when those wanting to avoid the crowds of All Saints’ Day visit the cemeteries to pay their respects.

While the day of the dead is supposed to be solemn, Filipinos use it to plan family gatherings at the tombs, where drinking and even open-air karaoke singing sessions are held.

“It’s like an annual family reunion to remember our departed ones,” said 34-year-old housewife Mary Jane Mendoza, who went to the packed Barangka public cemetery to visit the tomb of her baby, who died last year from pulmonary illness.

“We’ve packed enough for a picnic for the whole day,” she said, as she and her four other children struggled through a maze of narrow pathways.