Sagada, Philippines (Philippines) (AFP) – In a mountain cemetery in the Philippines, a predominantly Christian archipelago, a unique and mysterious ceremony is held in memory of the dead: tiny campfires made of pine wood burn all night, transforming the fog-shrouded hillside into a vast, luminous and fragrant altar.

Published on: 02/11/2026 - 07:20

Panag-aapoy ("lighting a fire") has been held on All Saints' Day in the tourist town of Sagada, north of the large island of Luzon, for 122 years, explains Winston Garlejo Menong, director of Saint Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church, owner of the cemetery.

As night falls and darkness covers the four hectares of the burial field, a sepulchral glow appears, the fires burning for more than 2,000 deceased.

The animist inhabitants of the mountainous Cordillera region only adopted Christianity after Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States in 1898, four centuries after Spanish Catholic missionaries evangelized the local coastal populations.

American Protestant missionaries encouraged the inhabitants of Sagada to bury their dead and light candles on their graves, points out Winston Menong.

“According to our understanding of the Bible, Christ means light,” he says.

Whether with candles or pine sticks, in Sagada, lighting a flame means “welcoming the presence of Christ among us, sharing communion with our deceased loved ones,” he explains.

Respect limits

The first Christians in Sagada burned pine wood because the candles were expensive and their flames were easily extinguished by the wind, unlike burning aromatic pine trees, rich in sap, Sagada tourism manager Maria Teresa Abad told AFP.

This practice is reminiscent of the burning of incense in Buddhist rituals.

Cybil Domoguen returned to Sagada this year with her father and a bundle of 51-centimeter pine sticks to honor her grandparents who raised her there.

“If a grave has no visitors, we make sure to light a few sticks for it,” this 31-year-old teacher explains to AFP.

Like others at the ceremony, she has mixed feelings about the growing tourist presence. “Last year, tourists took photos of us, which was embarrassing,” she adds.

“We have no problem with strangers as long as they respect boundaries,” she maintains.

- Hanging coffins -

The inhabitants of Sagada did not always light flames for their dead, or even bury them. Before the arrival of missionaries, the favored practice was to hang coffins from cliff walls or wedge them at the entrance to caves, a custom which only completely disappeared in 2010, says Ms. Abad.

Some of these "hanging coffins" are still visible on the cliffs near Sagada. “Traditional burial beliefs associate caves and high burial sites with the passage of the spirit to the realm of the ancestors,” something burial would hinder, she explains.

This also had the advantage of protecting the remains from wild animals and flooding.

With time, the Panag-aapoy and the hanging coffins became major tourist attractions, much to the dismay of the locals.

The Church and local authorities have since taken steps to protect the region's cultural heritage.

Picnic blankets and drone photography have been banned, and noisy tourists, cell phones in hand, are kept a safe distance from the graves and asked to observe respectful silence.

“Panag-aapoy is a sacred cultural tradition, NOT a festival or tourism event,” the Philippine Department of Tourism said in an advisory issued for the season.

“The solemnity of the practice was being lost,” Mr. Menong lamented with a sigh. “It turned into a puppet show.”

Rex Refuela, a 46-year-old tourist from Manila, said he understands the need to show respect.

“It is acceptable to impose some restrictions to preserve and maintain the solemnity,” he told AFP, adding: “it is absolutely incredible beauty.”

© 2026 AFP

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