Filipinos pack cemeteries to remember the dead

Filipinos poured into cemeteries by the millions on Friday for a rite to remember their dead, blending expressions of grief and faith in Catholic-majority Philippines with a party-like ambiance.

Vendors hawked cartoon-themed balloons and police seized karaoke machines at graveyard checkpoints, while inside families swept tombs clean and prayed before candles as part of All Saints' day.

The ritual, celebrated on November 1, stretches back centuries to ancient Rome and honours saints. But in the Philippines it is also a day to pray for -- and most importantly remember -- the deceased.

Among the mass of people at a Manila cemetery was 17-year-old Clarissa Limbing, who had come to visit the mother she lost to cancer six years ago.

"When we don't visit them, someone from the family gets sick and we know it's her making her presence felt," Limbing told AFP.

"It's important." Carlito Ortiz, 50, paid his respects to parents who had died when he was still a teenager.

"I feel that my parents want me to see them," he said.

"I do it so their souls may rest in peace."