  Symbiotic stars are long-orbital-period interacting-binaries characterized by
extended emission over the whole electromagnetic range and by complex
photometric and spectroscopic variability. In this paper, the first of a
series, we present OGLE light curves of all the confirmed symbiotic stars in
the Large Magellanic Cloud, with one exception. By careful visual inspection
and combined time-series analysis techniques, we investigate for the first time
in a systematic way the photometric properties of these astrophysical objects,
trying in particular to distinguish the nature of the cool component (e.g.,
Semi-Regular Variable vs. OGLE Small-Amplitude Red Giant), to provide its
first-order pulsational ephemerides, and to link all this information with the
physical parameters of the binary system as a whole. Among the most interesting
results, there is the discovery of a 20-year-long steady fading of Sanduleak's
star, a peculiar symbiotic star known to produce the largest stellar jet ever
discovered. We discuss by means of direct examples the crucial need for
long-term multi-band observations to get a real understanding of symbiotic and
other interacting binary stars. We eventually introduce BOMBOLO, a multi-band
simultaneous imager for the SOAR 4m Telescope, whose design and construction we
are currently leading.
