It’s a cultural thing. Every year, starting from Halloween up to All Souls’ Day (October 31 up to November 2), many Filipinos visit their dearly departed. This means that, in a heavily-populated city like Metro Manila, the traffic to, from, and within major cemeteries puts typical rush hour problems to shame.

City governments employ a large number of people on a holiday just to keep everything in order, and actually change the flow of the roads surrounding cemeteries. At least one major road in Quezon city becomes one way come the end of October. That’s why new cemeteries are now designed to handle a large volume of visitors. A cemetery recently put up in the Taguig municipality actually connects to a major highway. Who would’ve though that urban planning would play an important role in the placement and construction of cemeteries?

The need to be with dead relatives on or around November 1, and the accompanying problems caused by many people wanting to visit one place at the same time, is just another aspect of our family-centric society. This isn’t driven by any societal arm-twisting, as families wanting to avoid the All Saints’ Rush Day actually visit the cemetery as early as a week before the set date. At the other end of spectrum are families who actually spend 2-3 straight days in the cemetery, bringing food and sleeping mats for their stay.

Inevitably, the composition of a typical Filipino cemetery reflects on the structure of our society. Rich families put up well-furnished and spacious mausoleums to keep those who are still alive comfortable, while the poor have to squeeze their numerous selves into plots that are barely bigger than a queen size bed. Whoever said death was the great equalizer probably never visited the Philippines.

Fellow Filipinos, have you blogged about this tradition? If so, let me know. I’d love to link to your post, and give the rest of the world a better picture of what goes on in the Philippines during Halloween, All Saints’, and All Souls’ Day.