Minutes after I logged out of my blogger account, I realized that it was November 1 and it would be the best time to write about Halloween. But there isn’t much to write about trick or treat though, because I think it would be just treats for that day.
From the door of our home, I though I heard someone screaming “Happy Birthdaayyyyy..” on the microphone. I know where it came from, but then I presumed that maybe it was the “Happy Halloween” longest voice contest. I was also intrigued with the big noise echoing through our whole subdivision, and I asked my friend Eden, “Did they set up speakers around the subdivision to let us know what is going on?” Of course I was curious, and having sniffed a party mode scent around the corner, I went to follow it. And guess what.
It was at the cemetery at the back of our subdivision, and contrary to the popular notion of having a solemn mood when visiting such place, the cemetery was alive. This is not dawn of the dead, okay? People visiting their dead loved ones are close to having a party. The place is alive with people, music and in the evening, with the movies. There’s a film showing for everyone, the first of which is the animated movie Happily Never After and the next is.. I have no idea what that gory suspense thrilla movie is. What’s more, I felt like I was in a park for all the stalls lined up in different sides. There was Pizza Hut, Max’s chicken and a lot more.

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"This is not dawn of the dead, okay?"

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So just imagine how cool it is to have a picnic at the…cemetery! innovative, right? Well, it’s actually better to enjoy the day than staring at my aunt’s tombstone for a day and pretend like it’s a day for sentimentality. It is, actually, a day for remembering our relatives that passed away but maybe we could also make it a day for celebrating life and thanking God for giving us time to spend with our passed-away relatives when they are living. And we are Filipinos, trying to be happy in every situation, whatever the cost.
I looked at the people sitting at the grass that day and treating the holiday as a picnic day. Who would have guessed that a ‘party,’ like what happened last year’s Halloween, would pop out for such occasion? I think it’s really cool. When I went home, I told my mom that I if I’ll die, I want myself to be buried at that place, because I know that my relatives wouldn’t be so formal and somber in front of my marble tombstone. At least I know that they’ll remember me and still be happy, enjoying the day with the ‘party’ going in the perimeters of Forest Lake Memorial Park.