In the run-up to All Souls’ Day here, business is brisk for merchants flowers and candles, two of the most common items Filipinos bring when visiting cemeteries during the annual observance.
At the Alimyon Festival in Barangay Poblacion, flower vendors gather in stalls provided by the local government, creating a central marketplace for people buying flowers for their departed relatives.
The festival runs from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3, near the Roman Catholic Cemetery, Chinese Cemetery and city-managed public cemetery in Barangay Villaverde.
Naz Mangoranda, head of the Office of the Maranao, Higaonon and Other Cultural Communities, which facilitates the festival, said the initiative was designed to provide cut-flower growers and vendors with an additional source of income during the season.
The organized marketplace, which began in 2014, also gives cemetery visitors a convenient place to buy flowers without having to look for vendors scattered around the city.
Among those who have benefited from the arrangement is 46-year-old Annalyn Nable, who has maintained a stall at the festival since its early years.
Selling flowers is not a new occupation for Nable. She was only nine years old when she learned the trade from her parents, who supported their family through flower selling.
Now a mother of seven, she has passed on the livelihood to some of her married children, who have also established their own stalls and regularly sell flowers at the city’s market.
For Nable, the business is more than a seasonal activity. It is a family livelihood passed from one generation to another. Meanwhile, in Barangay Tibanga, Imelda Salado and her 10 workers are increasing candle production to meet the demand during All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
On ordinary days, the group produces about 120,000 candles. During peak seasons, including All Souls’ Day and Christmas, production increases to as many as 150,000 pieces.
‘When there are occasions such as All Souls’ Day or Christmas, we can produce 150,000 pieces to meet public demand,’ Salado said.
The candle-making operation started in 2012 with capital provided by the Gagmay’ng Simbahang Katilingban, or Small Christian Community, a grassroots Catholic community where families gather for prayer, Bible reflection and mutual support.
What began with community assistance has since developed into a source of livelihood for Salado and her workers, who take turns in weekly shifts to sustain production.
Among them are Fely Lawas and Lorraine Pacquiao, who welcome the increase in orders during religious occasions because it means additional working hours and income.
‘This is a very big help in supplementing our family’s income,’ Lawas said.
Pacquiao, who also operates a Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office outlet and runs a catering business, said she continues to work at the candle-making facility because she does not want to miss the opportunity to earn extra money.
‘I also have a PCSO outlet and a catering business. But I would be wasting an opportunity if I did not take this additional income, so I make sure to work here, too,’ she said.
Economic side
For these workers, vendors and young people, the observance of All Souls’ Day brings more than the familiar sight of flowers, candles and families gathering at cemeteries.
It also opens a window of economic opportunity, however brief, for people trying to make ends meet.
As thousands of Iligan residents prepare to visit the graves of their loved ones, the seasonal workers are likewise preparing for their busiest days – cleaning tombs, repainting names, arranging flowers and producing candles.
Their work may not be part of the religious rituals of remembering the dead, but it has become an important part of how some families sustain their own lives.