Joys & Thrills of All Saints Day

It is always good to have a time wherein your entire family gathers together even for at least a single day. Christmas, birthdays, reunions, holy week and the coming all saints day are just some of the special occasions long-time cousins, aunties, uncles will be seen. All saints day was special because even the family member who passed away or the unseen grandparents, who were born in early 90’s, are part of the event.

Days leading to November 1, there are a lot of Halloween specials, documentary, movies etc. shown in local and cable television. Before the advent of pay-per-view and internet- surfing, I’m glued to programs like Magandang Gabi Bayan who yearly presents horror stories. Our country is known to possess haunted places that makes this kind of presentation very effective and entertaining as well.

The Diplomat Hotel in Baguio City is believed to have ghosts of beheaded nuns and priests. Malinta Tunnel in Corregidor became the haunting ground of unknown spirits in the area. UP Los Banos was a scary place on one reason alone, it was situated at the foot of Mt. Makiling. There are bridges in this place that seem to take forever when crossed at night. The famous Balete Drive in Quezon City, though despite lack of evidence, brings thrill among the motorists because of the belief that a white lady will cross the street and worse, will joyride with you.

The night of All Saints Day was not just a night of remembering lost love ones but also a night of sight- seeing and girl-haunting. Different kinds of women pass by in front of our tomb. Head-turners, mini-skirt dressers and even unpleasant-looking girls were everywhere. We also have this contest wherein we count every person we know passing by. It will be counted once he replied.

During my teenage years, I also collect used candles by circling around the cemetery. There was also an instance where I clean and paint the mausoleum of a girl I’m courting. Unluckily, still not enough to impress her.

The sight of colorful food stalls is also a joy to behold. We stroll around them and food-trip with my friends. Burgers, fish balls, squid balls, hotdog sandwich, donuts were some of the most sought after foodstuffs. We also hear the mass at night since the church is just beside the cemetery.

In my younger years, we normally go home at 12:00 a.m. but because you're thinking of the work the following day we had to pack-up as early as 8:00 p.m.

Happy Halloween!