November 1 : 'ALL SALES DAY'

In the Philippines, every November 1 is All Saints Day. The Filipino devout observe it by visiting the departed member of their family in cemetery, or in a memorial park. But for the small vendors, they observe it too as "All Sales Day".

Man buying candles from the vendor along the road

Small businesses are sprouting near the entrance of the cemetery, and even along the road adjacent to the cemetery to sell candles of all sizes; can, basket or bouquet of flowers. They also sell candies, cigarettes, junk foods, and soft drinks, handy fans, hats, hand towels or anything which a small retail stores can offer.

Ambulant vendors are also abound inside the memorial park and in the cemetery selling their ready to eat foods, bottled mineral water, or anything they could offer to the visiting members of the family of the dead.

Aside from these vendors, there are also handy workers roaming around the cemetery, ready to do a menial job like cleaning and repainting of the tomb, retracing tomb's epitaph, among others for a reasonable fee. They even come a week earlier to find their customers.

Kalan-an or makeshift eateries also mushroom along the road heading to the cemetery to provide meals to cemetery visitors who come from a long way from home.

Before nightfall these small merchandisers earn a hefty income for just a day. It is because their wares are too costly for ordinary Filipino to buy. Yet many are still availing of them. For those who come home for this special day of the year just to pay a short visit for their dead have to bear for that business venture of those vendors' profiteering practice. They have no other choice. It's very difficult for them to bring their own flowers, for they're too bulky or they are in a hurry to catch up with their transportation to go home.

There's a saying in Filipino: "Ang tao ay mabubuhay sa tao. Sa tuwing Undas, ang tao ay nabubuhay rin sa patay" [Man lives by serving his fellow. In every All Saints Day, man earns his living from the dead]

Never be surprised that every November 1 is "ALL SALES DAY!" for the small entrepreneurs here in the Philippines. And All Saints Day for the Catholic or other religious sects.