The living and the dead ‘united’ on All Saints’ Day

MANILA, Philippines - Tommy Sebastian’s home is a hive of activity this time of year, as hundreds of families gather to visit their loved ones.

The 20-year-old is used to being surrounded by people, of sorts – just not the living, breathing kind.

Sebastian was born inside Manila’s North Cemetery – one of the oldest and biggest in Metro Manila – and shares his home with the dead.

His family – all 15 of them, including his wife and nine-month-old son – is responsible for dozens of square tombs that are stacked within the walls of the gated concrete enclosure near the cemetery entrance.

They are residents and caretakers. They cleaned and painted all of the tombs in anticipation of the influx of visitors this weekend. The job pays about P8,000 a year, Sebastian says.

“If there’re no dead people, then we don’t earn money,” he

Yesterday, on the eve of All Saints’ Day, thousands of people were already making their way to the cemetery with flowers and candles.

It is a Filipino tradition and close to a million people are expected to visit Manila’s three major cemeteries this weekend.

The main road to the 54-hectare site was lined with stalls selling flowers in big bunches wrapped in newspaper.

Inside the gate vendors were selling every kind of convenience food that one would expect at a shopping mall – donuts, pizza, and there is even a Jollibee stall.

It was a carnival atmosphere. It was a celebration. A spirit of joy had taken over a place of mourning.

Jane Celeridad, 38, was there early with her children, sisters and father to visit her grandfather’s tomb, located inside the area that Sebastian and his family call home.

They brought with them flowers, candles and prayers.

“We Filipinos believe it’s the only time that we’re able to be with our dead loved ones,” she says.

“It’s just like a family reunion. Even though they’re dead we get this chance to be with them every year.”

The mausoleums at Manila North are majestic stone structures. They line the cemetery’s main strip like houses on a street. Some are adorned with statues of Jesus, Mary and the saints. Some are barricaded with large metal gates. Some are occupied by visiting families, others by the families who live inside.

Away from the bustle of the main strip there are scenes of solemnity.

Amongst stacks of centuries-old tombs painted in bright blues, greens and yellows, Mary de Leon, 21, her two sons, Jhon, 3, and Jhayden, 1, and brother Emerson are sitting quietly atop the resting place of Mary’s late husband.

De Leon says her husband, Joven Rarugal, was shot and killed by a police officer in December last year. It is the first undas commemoration for the family since his death.

Rarugal, 20, was reportedly walking home with friends when the officer allegedly accosted them for being rowdy before drawing his pistol and shooting him.

De Leon says they are reflecting on “all the good memories we have” and praying that he finds peace in heaven.

They will stay until the four blue burning candles are melted, she says.

Caretakers were scattered around the grounds scraping dirt and mould from neglected tombs and adding a final splash of paint before the masses arrive today.

A traditional graveyard full of unadorned headstones was empty. Old leaves fell silently from overarching trees to the ground below.

Back at Sebastian’s concrete home – the only one he’s ever known – new faces gathered to sit and reflect on lives lived.

Some of the colorful tombs are decorated with photos and small statues. Some with burning candles, others extinguished. Some with fresh flowers, others withered and old.

It is a place of stark contrasts – a beautiful union of the living and the dead.