The place looked like a ghost town. Well, what do you expect from a cemetery? But on the day of the Halloween or eve of November 1 All Saint's Day (which in the Philippines is the day when most Filipinos would start to visit the cemetery to pay respect for their dear departed until the All Souls' Day of November 2), you would expect movements of people in and out, here and there. While there were a few cars and people inside, still the atmosphere was of desolation - like a film studio after the shooting was packed up and all the actors and crew were gone and only the set remained. It was my first visit to the Chinese Cemetery in Laloma and so were my friends whom I went with on a photowalk. And I couldn't help but compare it with the atmosphere in the two adjacent cemeteries we previously visited - the Manila North Cemetery and the Laloma Public Cemetery - where commerce and tourism of sort were obviously visible considering the herd of people lighting candles and picnicking and the many merchandise on sale including free photo-op inside fuchsia pink painted coffins. It's a crazy fiesta. I guess the Filipino-Chinese community observe it differently and maybe on a different day. I really don't have a clue and that's something worth researching. At least the situation somehow was conducive for carefree lomography. I was able to shoot cultural indeces that are clearly associated with the Chinese (e.g., dragons, lions, Chinese characters, elaborate designs on roof corners, pagoda-like structures, etc.). It was already near dusk when we got inside so I was not able to see much of the cemetery. Maybe that's one reason to come back and find out more about Chinese observance of the day of the dead.

More photos by lakandula