When the City of the dead comes alive
by Ubo Pakes
All Saints Day in the Philippines
Kalag-Kalag or All Souls Day is a red-letter day for Filipino Catholics in Philippines. During this day, families flock to cemeteries to celebrate and remember their loved ones who passed away. It is maybe the biggest reason for people to travel from the cities to their hometowns to be with their families and some even call it the Kalag-Kalag Fiesta. It is estimated that more Filipinos travel home for this than for Christmas. At the same time, there are whole communities living and making a living at the cemetery and for them, these are the busiest days of the year, selling flowers and candles and cleaning and fixing up graves. My mother in law and aunts are also busy for weeks making sure that the family graves are presentable so that they can receive the living.
In the cemetery’s families get together, mourn, celebrate, eat, pray, flirt and more. People burn candles or lamps and leave flowers and food for the deceased to partake. It is as if society is standing still on these days and that all life and businesses are concentrated in and around the cemeteries. When people are leaving the cemetery, they usually go through a bonfire of smoke which is believed to prevent the ghosts of their loved ones from following them and haunt them at home.
For more than ten years now, I attend with my family this event and I am very much fascinated by the phenomenon. In the evening when there are tens of thousands of people, lights, candles, fires, flowers, picnics and more the cemetery is transformed into an almost mystical place. The city of the dead comes alive while the surrounding business areas are virtually deserted. The world has turned upside down. Throngs of the yellow glow of lighted candles, fires and lightbulbs against the setting of flower adorned concrete tombs and a dark blue sky creates a special atmosphere that adds to the magic of the event.
This year, the government in the Philippines has closed all cemeteries for Kalag-kalag due to the high risk of COVID transmissions. I will be missing the cemetery this year.
Ubo Pakes is a Dutch national and is an environmental engineer by profession. He moved to the Philippines in 2008 and photography became a way of getting more acquainted with the many different aspects of Philippine culture and the many differences between his home country and the Philippines. Observing the world around him through his camera is a great way to remain curious of the area where he lives.
Living and working in a big metropolitan area like Cebu has directed his focus on the many people who are working and living a big part of their lives on the streets of the City. Creating portraits turned out to be a great way to be in contact with society, learning parts of the language and the customs of the big city and surrounding province. His interests are mainly in documenting the faces and lives of ordinary people in all facets of daily life.
