November 1 and 2 are All Saints and All Souls Days, which are regular holidays in the Philippines.

As of a couple days ago, October 31 is a special non-working holiday.

They celebrate All Saints and All Souls Day very similarly to the way Mexico celebrates the Day of the Dead. They visit cemeteries to remember their loved ones. Traditionally, they would spend the day in the cemetery, cleaning their loved one’s plot and headstone, praying, leaving flowers, and having a small get-together. It’s a way for them to involve their loved ones in their lives, even after they’re gone.

This year, November 1 and 2 are on Saturday and Sunday. In response, the Philippine government declared October 31 a special non-working holiday.

This doesn’t mean Halloween is now a holiday in the Philippines. October 31 was declared a special non-working holiday so that schools and government offices can close. Banks and businesses are still open, but declaring this a special holiday would give some Filipinos time to travel back to their hometowns and visit cemeteries earlier if they wish. This would help reduce the traffic and number of people on November 1 and 2.

The government expected so much travel this week that the Philippines’ Department of Education already gave its students and teachers this week off. Private schools also declared the start of their semester break earlier to give students, parents, and teachers time to travel.

(a picture of how they travel)

Because the Philippines is Westernized, you will see kids trick-or-treating in the malls and in many gated communities. They’ve adopted the commercialization of Halloween the same way we do here in the US. But that’s still secondary to what this time is really about for them: honoring the loved ones who are now gone and keeping their memories alive.

That’s a better way to celebrate, don’t you think?

John