Filipinos carrying flowers, candles and bags of food flocked to cemeteries in the Philippines’ majority Catholic cemeteries on Wednesday, All Saints’ Day, to honor their dead relatives.
Hundreds of thousands of people fanned out across vast cemeteries in the capital Manila, picnicking on graves or praying quietly at the final resting places of relatives and friends.
Zenaida Cruz, 77, was one of the visitors at Manila’s North Cemetery, walking slowly with her husband to the graves of her parents and grandparents, laying candles and praying.
Cruz used to leave flowers at the cemetery, but inflation made the price of even a simple bouquet beyond her limited budget.
“As long as I can walk, I will still visit because it’s a tradition,” Cruz told AFP.
“This tradition won’t go away, but of course, it won’t be as grand as it used to be, with lots of flowers and lots of candles.”
The annual ceremony is an ancient Christian tradition that honors all the saints and martyrs who died for the faith.
In the deeply religious Philippines, the day is a public holiday and people can spend hours visiting graves in remote areas of the country.