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Happy Halloween

 Halloween here in the Philippines is not like the Halloween in the Western countries. Although it’s a big holiday (comparable to Christmas here), we celebrate it in a different manner. Halloween in the Philippines lasts from the eve of October 31 (or even before this day) to November 2. Due to our strong Catholic background, Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 are spent remembering our dead loved ones and these dates will usually find most of us in one place only: the cemetery or the memorial park.

We don’t celebrate it with pumpkins or trick-or-treats (although this Western tradition is sometimes practiced in some families / subdivisions here). We celebrate it through candles, flowers, prayers and a visit to the cemetery.
You might think we have a very boring Halloween here. I mean, cemeteries, graves, prayers, etc. make it look like a serious affair. Not so. Spending Halloween in the cemeteries is a fun event. It’s like a mini-reunion for families and friends alike, a chance to have fellowship with those people that we see only once a year (only on Nov. 1 of each year). Tents, shelters, chairs and tables are set up in front of the grave sites to provide a place where the family and their visitors can stay and talk. Radios, mp3s, CD players, musical instruments, karaoke and the like are present to provide music, singing and entertainment. Board games, playing cards, play stations are also present for the young ones (and the young at heart). Best of all, food and drinks are overflowing during this time, with families bringing in baskets of food and drinks to share with other members of their families and their visitors.

If you run out of food, drinks, candles and even flowers, vendors are all around the cemetery to provide for your needs. It saves the family members the hassle of bringing these things plus it provides extra income for these vendors.

There you have it. Halloween Filipino – style. Different, yes, but equally as interesting as the Halloween celebration in other parts of the world.- words from Hubpages

 And the sad story...I'm not part of the long weekend  and I'm going to miss these..big time! work is in between:(

Oh by the way, my lucky day!
Nicholas Sparks was here at the Podium. A rare opportunity to meet the world’s best selling authors. You know him from “The Notebook,” “A Walk to Remember” and “The Last Song.” The lucky part!
got myself  a signed copy of The best of Me:) yehey!-ooh yes  I'm into sappy love stories:)

wishing everyone to enjoy  your long weekend!

remember when you're young, you should live out every weekend. Even if you look like a scarecrow, you just gotta go!..lol

enjoy!

Life is good!

Comments

  1. I think Im not gonna spend my vacation sa cemetery, I need to prepare all the requirements na kailangan sa bago kong work na dapat ko isubmit sa nov.2 wahahaha...So sad,but still happy.. Happy Halloween! :)

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  2. Well its truly an interesting way of celebrating halloween, I usually don´t celebrate it but I like the candy hahaha

    xx
    Andy
    The Black Label

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  3. Spell E-N-V-I-O-U-S for Nicholas Sparks book on your collector's item! Haha. Yeah, right. I'm a sucker for sappy love stories, too. Geez! I just love his books. Message in the bottle is one of my faves. Will grab a copy of his new one, the one you've got signed for, when I get the time. :)

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  4. inggit ko sa meet and greet nicholas sparks. happy halloween. =)

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  5. 'even if you look like a scarecrow' hahah labet! happy vac sunnylab!

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  6. same here... no halloween for me :(

    grabe, nicholas sparks? kainggit!!

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  7. high school ako last makaparty sa halloween....

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  8. You have the new book of Nicholas Sparks :| jelly. Have a Happy Halloween dear.

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  9. in my fucking hole este whole life, i've never experienced hollowen party, kawawa me noh? hehe

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  10. Nice naman you were able to meet Nicholas Sparks and a signed book from him.. inggit much! anyhoo, Happy Halloween :)

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  11. sumisikat nga ito at pagastos ng pagastos ang mga tao sa costume pag halloween. ako... mamumundok na lang muna sa halloween

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  12. beautiful halloween!!!amazing blog!!!i'm following you!!if you like mine,do the same!!!

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  13. Di na kami nagpupunta ng cemetery e kasi naka crmate na yung love ones namin at nasa bahay lang ashes nila. Nagtitirik na lang kami ng candles at nagdarasal.

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  14. Halloween isn't that much of an event for me because we don't have a grave to visit (thank God) here in Manila. And we never go trick-or-treating. Heh. It's just gonna be a long weekend for me :))

    Cute pictures!

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  15. I prefer your method of celebrating Halloween to our Sunny and you were looking so great next to that pumpkin man. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.
    Odie

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  16. Oh I love his books too!
    Happy halloween to you, too

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  17. You look fabulous sunnytoast. Can't wait to see the children the day after tommorow. I better prepare the treats. Don't work too hard. You take care and have a lovely weekend. :)

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  18. At least you celebrate Halloween! Here in Mauritius we only celebrate 1 and 2 November because like you, of the Catholic background. Somehow some families do celebrate Halloween though because since last year some shops began to sell Halloween stuff... but unfortunately for most of the students like me it's exams period so we can never really enjoy these celebration days...

    Anyway Happy Halloween!!

    http://daphyin-makeupisart.blogspot.com

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  19. This is a really interesting post, I wish Halloween was more family driven here in the UK :)

    Love, Vanilla

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  20. I spared myself from traveling kahit long weekend. Masaya kasi talaga ang reunion sa cemetery e. And I would have to agree with you girl, over flowing ang pagkain. Kanya kanyang toka. hihihi! Dati naggagawa pa kami ng candle balls. Yung gawa sa natunaw na kandila. hihih!Pero walang tatalo sa Magandang Gabi Bayan na episode. Yan ang ka-abang abang sa Halloween ng Pinas.

    By the way, congrats sa autograph mo ha. Sarap ng feeling no? hihih! I used to do that when I was still in love with boy bands. Eww! hahaha!

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  21. i loveeeeeeeeeeeee nicholas sparks!! :)

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  22. your version of halloween sounds lovely and so meaningful! I think holidays are over-marketed and the essence of them is starting to to be lost. can't believe you got to meet nicholas sparks! one of my fav authors as well :)

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  23. You made me love our version of Halloween even more Sunny. Oh too bad you have work on Holidays but I'm sure your office will come up with something exciting for you and your co-workers.

    Oh, I'm jealous you have signed book from Nicholas Sparks. I missed that. You are lucky!

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  24. Wow! Nicholas Sparks. Noice! :D
    Happy halloween! Enjoy the holidays!

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  25. eh di ako na ang nainggit sa pirmadong novel. hehe..

    Halloween, Filipino-style is interesting.. but true, it is fun. hehe.. Sarap mag camping sa cemetery. LOL. Ay we also go "nangangaluwa" at friends' houses, para makakain ng mga suman at malagkit. lol..

    But this year, wala.. tambay lang ako sa bahay. Tinamad na ih. hehe.. :p

    Happy Halloween! :)

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  26. Happy halloween ;) WOw, you met nicholas ;)

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  27. wow very interesting to hear about the philippines Halloween traditions!

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  28. Haha fun! Lucky that you got that signed.. We are the same way here.. Celebrating the day of the dead.. We go all out like you guys..

    All the best, ~Angel

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  29. That's what I missed in the Philippines, the food, visiting of the loved ones in the cemetery, the meeting of long lost friends inside the cemetery and the semi-reunion with the family. Great post and I would find Nicholas Sparks here in the library. Lucky you, you meet him ^)^ Thanks for the visit!

    Collage of Roses

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  30. Hi Sunny, I was fascinated by your description of a Filipino Halloween. I like it, it sounds like fun. Thankyou for your most lovely comments. I wish you a very Happy Halloween, even though you will be working. Love Linda x

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  31. Aww. I got too lazy to go to The Podium for that. I heard there were HUNDREDS of people. Did you have to wait long? And thanks for sharing about Halloween! I had no idea that's how people "celebrate" it here. :)

    http://wonderwomanrises.blogspot.com

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  32. wooooooowww!!! nicholas sparks! you already!!! hehehe

    uy ganda ng profile pic ah! yun talaga ang napansin ko kaagad!

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  33. Yes, Halloween is celebrated differently in the Philippines than in other western countries. Halloween is more solemn but joyous in the Philippines where members of the clan congregate and celebrate the memories of their loved ones. Thanks for the post. God bless you all always.

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  34. I love your phots and to get to know more things about your part of the world.
    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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  35. I miss Pinoy style "halloween".

    No halloween for me this year. :(

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  36. Hi Sunny Toast.

    Your post made me miss my family more and this year I won't be able to spend time with them to light candles because I am not part of the long weekend too.

    I love how you described our Halloween and this made me proud I am a Filipino. We celebrate it like no other.

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  37. What a huge pumpkin! Parang pang-karwahe ni Cinderella. Haha :D

    Wow congrats on the signed copy :D

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  38. congrats for the autograph ! if only i was in the Philippines too, i wouldn't let the chance of meeting and greeting Nicholas Sparks slip by ;)

    thanks for the greetings you left in my blog :) following you now too!

    see you around ^^

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  39. oh wow you got a signed copy of the Nicolas Sparks book. I envy you :D

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  40. such a well-written post. makes me miss spending all soul's with the family at the cemetery..i remember us playing bingo all throughout the night. LOL.

    ps. i'm such a fun of sappy romantic books too..and i love nicholas sparks even though it's sometimes overrated.

    ♥ vanilla ice cream ♥

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  41. kakamiss ang pumunta ng sementeryo para sa undas.

    It sucks when your job requires you to work on phil. holidays. :(

    okay yung pumpkin designs sa pics

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  42. Happy Halloween!

    Thanks for visiting. Following you now...

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  43. We are so happy that you posted about Halloween in your country. We learned something new and find it fascinating!

    Jayme & Mendi @ Her Late Night Cravings

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  44. Cool. It's been a long time since I experienced a Halloween Party. I can't even remember when was the last time I spent Todos Los Santos at home...haaay.

    Thanks for the visit.

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  45. happy halloween ganda! in all fairness, mas prefer ako sa celebration sa pinas k sa dito...:)

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  46. It is indeed interesting to hear how differently Halloween is celebrated with you. And the extra significance the holiday holds. Xxxx

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  47. i like your signed copy of nicholas sparks' book! we do have a different version in celebrating halloween.

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  48. True bout Halloween here in the Philippines. Unless you live in an exclusive subdivision, you won't get to experience the trick-or-treat stuff.

    Anyway, loving your top and your bag in the picture! :)

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  49. oohh nice, signed copy of mr. sparks! aylavet!

    iba na sked mo teh?

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  50. Wow, what you told is very interestng! I love hearing talk about traditions and different cultures. As for you, here halloween is not an event with pumpkins and "trick or treat" (although many children began to do it since teachers at school began to talk about these english traditions). But originally, november is the month dedicated to our dead loves, and we celebrate them going to cemetery, but our visitis aren't so pleasant and rich of fun and happiness as in Philippines: here all is sad, all is pain, all is boring. Cemeteries are a place of cult, so silence and pray are a must. The day dedicated to our dead loves is on 2nd, while the 1st is a symbol of all saints, so we give wishes to each others because all our names are celebrated. :)
    I have to say your Halloween is really better than our! I really would love flying in Philippines and participate to your recurrences! You're always so serene, happy, you've got a light spirit that Christinity suppressed here in italy. Stay as you are!
    Hugs from italy

    http://lifeincurl.blogspot.com

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  51. It´s too bad that you can´t celebrate Halloween with family and friends. Ganyan talaga we have to sacrifice some of the main events of the year because of work. :(

    Anyway, we don´t have Halloween in here too. They just treat it as a simple day with a trip to the cemetery. That´s why I missed the Pinoy Halloween. ;)

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  52. happy halloween dear! inggit ako sa signed copy mo... i just have one book that was signed EVER - from jessica zafra... :)

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  53. wow a signed Nicholas Sparks book! I love his stories :) It's nice to note that even if we have our own way of 'celebrating' all souls day, nai-influence na din tayo ng western cultures no? sana dati pa para na experience ko mag trick or treat :)

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  54. Your are too kind! I thankyou for your lovely remarks. I forgot to say last time, what a glamorous picture that is of you on your sidebar, you look gorgeous! Love Linda x

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  55. Hello! I'm so happy to have come across your blog! :)

    It sucks to hear you'd still be working on halloween. But as they say, work is a blessing, so go lang! :)

    And yay for Nicholas Sparks! So jealous that you were able to make it to Podium last Friday! I was supposed to go too, but I had work. Sana kasi gabi nalang nagstart, nakahabol pa sana ako! You work near Podium? I work in Tektite, so super lapit lang. My boss was just being his usual KJ self and didn't allow me to leave until dismissal time. Grrr! Haha!

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  56. Love yer pumpkin pic.

    oh Nicholas Sparks!inggit much=)

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  57. BTW Mendi was excited to see that you met Nicholas Sparks! She loves him!

    Jayme & Mendi @ Her Late Night Cravings

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  58. happy halloween! lucky you you met nicholas!!

    nouveauskin.blogspot.com

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  59. Aww, good points. Happy Halloween! Don't worry. There's another long weekend coming up! :)

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  60. Those are gorgeous pumpkins! And you got Nicholas Sparks to sign your book? I hate you. =( I'm so envious.

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  61. wow! i am jealous! :) nicholas sparks is my favorite author too. i have a collection of his books. happy for you!

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  62. ang daming comments ah haha :) i agree, there may be costume parties here pero it is usually celebrated by high end people. sometimes if cant visit the cemetery, we just lit a candle outside the house.

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  63. Here in Mexico we celebrate nov 1 and nov 2 as well, Halloween is not a real tradition in the country but when I lived in Canada Halloween is a huge party in the streets!
    XOXO

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  64. These pictures are so lovely! And we don't celebrate Halloween either, but there's also nothing to replace it.

    Sam

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  65. Feliz Halloween guapisima!

    Aqui cada vez se celebra mas y mas!

    Besos chipless by Dave_Vuitton
    Egolook en Chiplessfashion.com

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  66. WOW THOSE ARE SOME HUGE PUMPKINS!!! liove nicholas sparks also!! Happy halloween girl :)


    I'm having a crystal quartz necklace giveaway on my blog!!! check it out :)
    francesca
    http://www.frankvinyl.com

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  67. I didn't know Nicholas Sparks would be in Manila. Indeed, you're lucky, inggit ako. :( I'm a huge fan and have several of his books.

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  68. I spent halloween visiting my grandparents' grave to avoid the congestion on November 1.

    Those are really cool halloween designs. :D

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  69. A decade ago, I read Nicholas Sparks' novels. Sayang, didnt know na nandito sya. :)

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  70. We have Halloween in Italy as well, but in these days we are worried about the European catastrophe! ;-)

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  71. i love biiiig pumpkins. hndi pa ata ako nakakakita ng totoong ganun hahhaa...love the pics my deary!

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  72. how interesting! Visiting and eating in cemetery.. We chinese people do that once a year as well. It is so much fun, right? Families can finally gather together no matter what religion they are :)

    <3
    http://escapesweetest.blogspot.com/

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  73. Wow you're so lucky you got to have your book signed!! :)) by the way new follower!!


    http://artisticallygeeky14.blogspot.com/

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  74. i like your signed copy of nicholas sparks' book! we do have a different version in celebrating halloween.

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