When my mom moved us — her and me — to the Philippines in 1980, Halloween and Thanksgiving were two holidays that I didn’t think I’d ever find celebrated outside of U.S. bases Clark and Subic. It just wasn’t heard of. I remember All Saint’s Day, November 1st, was the big deal.

Cemeteries on All Hallow's Eve in the Philippines

Families would trek to cemeteries on All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween), or All Saint’s Day, to clean and spruce up the graves of the dearly departed. Some in celebratory ways that included cards and mah-jong tiles for gambling, and an assortment of chips, softdrinks, and food for grilling. It was a tradition, a major event: visiting each cemetery where each long-dead and often unknown distant relative was laid to rest.

That was the highlight of my introduction to Halloween in the Philippines. It wasn’t celebrated. It was the day after that was.

Until a year or so later when I heard of an upscale neighborhood in the south of Metro Manila known as Ayala Alabang that had trick or treating for their residents.

I didn’t know what to think of this. . .  anomaly. Rich kids in costumes going to rich kids’ houses celebrating a very American holiday.

I deemed myself too old at 12 to trick or treat and chalked off one of my favorite celebrations as a tradition in the Philippines deemed for its bourgeoisie, secretly wishing I lived in Ayala Alabang or at least had friends there to wear costumes with.

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