Holy Week in the Philippines

Holy week is a significant religious festival in the Philippines. It is celebrated by Christians around the world to commemorate the most important events in Christian History “The Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ”. The earliest catholic references as to the celebration of Holy week are in the Apostle’s Constitutions.

Throughout the Holy week most businesses in the Philippines will either shut down operations or have later opening and earlier closing times. During Easter usually a public holiday, some television stations even interrupt broadcast altogether until Black Saturday in observance of this solemn occasion.

Holy week is known for its solemnity and leads to celebration of Easter, lent has drawn devotees across the country and from overseas. It is a time for atonement and mortification. Fasting and abstinence on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are observed.  In this predominantly Roman Catholic country, Holy Week is known as Semana Santa, the Spanish translation of the religious festival itself and Mahal Na Araw. Among the traditional activities during Holy week are the cenaculo and the pabasa.

Out in the streets, flagellants re-enact the torture and death of Christ. A pagan interpretation, the tradition is their way of asking forgiveness for sin committed, for fulling religious vows, or for expressing gratitude as when a favor has been granted.

One of the places famous for its Holy Week celebration and which attracts tourist yearly is Tondo where half-naked flagellants, wearing only trousers, had their faces covered with black cloth and their heads crowned with thorny vines. They traverse barefoot for one or two hours the hot, sharp stony pavement under the scorching heat of the sun. Stopping midway twice and each time falling to the ground with their foreheads touching it, the penitents are whipped at the back.

The actual whipping is done in two ways: the penitents do the whipping themselves or someone is asked to lash the penitents’ backs. At the end of the procession, the flagellants jump into the water of the Manila Bay. As claimed by the flagellants, all bruises heal after the dunking.

Lenten tradition that reaches its climax on Good Friday. Catholics are thrown into a contemplate mood. Meditation on the agony and death of Christ. Customary practices such as the retelling of the seven Last Words are included in the sermon by a Priest in full details.

In San Fernando 100 km north from Manila, every Good Friday witnessed by throngs of believers and thousands of tourists, 3 men or more are crucified and hammered with 5-inch sterilize stainless steel nails to the wooden crosses through his palm and set him aloft on a cross under a brutal sun for a few minutes were nailed to crosses three at a time to re-enact Jesus Christ’s suffering.