In pictures: 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.

Cemeteries in the Philippines range from quiet fields of wooden crosses to dense "apartment" tombs stacked metres high in the capital, which is home to some 13 million of the living. Many tombs were freshly whitewashed and drizzled with the melted candle wax and topped with religious icons.

The annual pilgrimage to the cemeteries triggers a mass exodus from the capital, with millions traveling back to their home provinces where relatives are buried. Bus stations, airports and roadways were thick with travelers, while police were deployed in large numbers across the country.

Church officials in Asia's Catholic outpost emphasised the reflective aspect of the day, insisting people interested only in "drinking, merry-making, chatting" do so elsewhere.