Not your ordinary cemetery: Baguio attraction lets visitors bury fear, doubt and bad vibes

FEATURE

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — While traditional cemeteries welcome families paying tribute to their departed loved ones during Undas, a different kind of cemetery in Baguio City is drawing visitors for an unusual purpose: to symbolically bury their negative thoughts, frustrations, fears and bad vibes.

Known as the Cemetery of Negativism, the quirky attraction at Camp John Hay offers a humorous yet thought-provoking reminder that sometimes, the things people need to let go of are not buried six feet underground but carried within themselves.

Also referred to as the “Lost Cemetery” or “Pet Cemetery,” the mock burial ground was designed and established in the early 1980s by then commanding general Major John Hightower. It was envisioned as a place where soldiers could symbolically lay to rest their negative thoughts and emotions.

The attraction was built around the philosophy that “negativism is man’s greatest self-imposed infliction, his most limiting factor, and his heaviest burden.”

Unlike ordinary cemeteries, however, this one contains no human remains. Instead, its grounds are dotted with fictional tombstones bearing cartoon animal markers, pun-filled names and amusing causes of death.

Among them are Just Kant Shakit, who supposedly “died of passivity”; Kant B. Done, who “died before he started”; Why Dident I, who “died for no reason, lived wondering why”; and Lettuce Wayor D. Boss, who “died waiting.”

Other tombstones carry equally witty epitaphs, including Etz Not Possible, conceived on November 11, 1905, but still not born; Watzinit Formi, born short, lived long and died in debt; and Uhafto Or Else, born of intimidation, lived in resentment and died without fame.

Behind the amusing wordplay is a deeper message: negativity, procrastination, fear, resentment and self-doubt can become burdens that prevent people from moving forward.

Shaded by pine trees, the quiet cemetery offers visitors a place to pause, laugh at life's ironies and reflect on the attitudes and emotional baggage they may need to leave behind.

Its unusual concept has made it a popular stop for visitors, particularly during Undas, when families traditionally gather in cemeteries to remember the dead. Here, however, visitors are invited to symbolically say goodbye to the negative things they no longer want to carry.

The Cemetery of Negativism is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., offering a different kind of cemetery experience — one where the goal is not to remember what has died, but to let go of what keeps people from living positively.