The Catholic world honors departed relatives and saints – and, in the Philippines, celebrates alongside them. Here, nightlife takes on a whole new meaning as cemeteries turn into surreal fiestas that can last until dawn.
In the Philippines, Halloween, All Saints’ Day (Araw ng mga Santo), and All Souls’ Day (Araw ng mga Patay) form a unique season of remembrance and celebration. While Halloween brings the Grim Reaper into the spotlight, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day are devoted to honoring saints and remembering departed loved ones.
Together, these occasions showcase the distinctly Filipino talent for turning even a cemetery visit into an enormous family fiesta, blending Catholic traditions, ancient superstitions, saints, spirits, and the mysteries of death into one thick mystical stew.
Beyond bringing families together, these celebrations reinforce a sense of Filipino identity in a world increasingly disconnected from its past – and where the future seems to have misplaced its instruction manual.
Life Among the Dead
All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day are collectively known in the Philippines as Undas. One popular folk explanation claims that Undas comes from the initials of the Spanish phrase “Unos Días de las Almas y de los Santos” – Days of the Souls and Saints. Another theory suggests that Undas evolved in popular usage from the Spanish expression honras fúnebres, referring to funeral rites or honors for the dead.
Whatever its linguistic origins, Undas brings together two things Filipinos hold especially dear: family and a good excuse to celebrate. According to traditional belief, deceased family members celebrate Undas alongside their living relatives. And if death is all that separates the guests, why not mock it with Halloween’s full arsenal – ghosts, skeletons, candles, darkness, and everything else the Grim Reaper would probably prefer to keep under copyright?
It all begins around November 1, when families gather at cemeteries. Those who follow the older traditions may stay through the night. And by families, I mean everyone – the living and the dead.
Families set up camps around their relatives’ graves. They clean the tombs, eat, drink, talk, laugh, and remember those who are no longer physically present. Countless candles are lit, traditionally believed to offer warmth and welcome to spirits returning to the world of the living.
Extra food is sometimes brought along for deceased relatives and other wandering souls who may happen to pass by. Gambling was once part of the cemetery festivities, too, until authorities began cracking down on the practice – apparently deciding that eternity was exciting enough without a card game.
Rest in Peace – Maintenance Not Included
Visiting a Filipino cemetery during Undas is one of the most unusual crash courses in Filipino culture you could ever take. Rather than mourning in silence, Filipino families often remember their departed loved ones with food, laughter, conversation, and enough noise to make you wonder whether the dead are getting any rest at all.
Undas becomes a macabre carnival of life and death, with some of the most fascinating contradictions of Filipino culture on full display among the tombstones. Yet beneath all that festivity lies a puzzling contradiction. Filipinos deeply respect and remember their departed relatives, but the places where those relatives spend eternity do not always receive the same tender care.
For much of the year, many urban cemeteries look less like gardens of paradise and more like places where even the angels have given up on maintenance. Grass grows wild, decaying flowers and broken decorations lie scattered around, and damaged concrete tombs provide scenes straight out of a Halloween horror movie – no special effects required.
Even Cemeteries Have a Class System
Wealthier souls spend eternity in the VIP section, where elaborate family mausoleums can resemble small houses and are often kept tidy throughout the year. The inequality that grips the Philippines, it seems, does not necessarily end with your final breath.
Many families bury their loved ones in concrete family tombs, which are cleaned and decorated for Undas each year. Families without a family tomb or a burial plot of their own bury their dead… somewhere. Where the poorest Filipinos finally end up after death is a question that rarely finds its way into public discussion.
Dancing Over the Graves
The night of Undas can be a surreal experience, especially in smaller provincial towns where streetlights surrender long before the road reaches the cemetery.
When thousands of candles flicker among countless graves in the darkness, it is difficult not to sense a mysterious connection to something beyond the visible world. For a few hours, the border between the living and the dead seems to blur. It is a moment to remember the souls that have vanished into eternity – the same great unknown awaiting the rest of us, whether or not we remembered to make a reservation.
According to an old Filipino belief, candles should be left burning outside the house after a cemetery visit to discourage wandering souls from following the family home. The candles serve as a polite message to departed relatives: We remember you. We love you. There is absolutely no need to come inside and prove that you still exist.
An old Filipino belief holds that raindrops are the tears of the dead. But during Undas, even the departed have little reason to cry. Not even a tropical downpour can wash away the spirit of a celebration where death itself is expected to join the party.
Happy All Saints’ Day!
More on topic:
Believe it or Not – The Allure of Superstition
Holy Week in the Philippines – Between Tradition and Modernity
