Holy Holy Week: Part One
I reminisce back to my childhood when Holy was truly blessed when everything would shut down, from the shopping malls to TV channels. You go into any bustling metropolis and the only company you’ll find is that of your own shadow. No cable TV meant that I would be forced to watch religious themed programs. Ten Commandments and 7th Heaven marathons were a must every single year. Of course, there was also some obligatory praying and the observance of silence and solemnity. Not fun when you’re a kid.
I didn’t enjoy holy week then, but now that I’m all grown up, I miss those days when holy week was sacred. It seems that the combined forces of commerce and technology have encroached upon holy week and now it’s become just a long beach holiday. Though, it is a commemoration of Jesus’s Christ’s suffering, it’s really a blessing for the millions of suffering employees of this nation.
Next year, I think I will take advantage of the times and take part of more holy week rituals. Lenten celebrations in the Philippines is a collection of unique sometimes absurd Christian and paganistic practices that can enrich a traveller’s world view. Here’s a quick list of things to take part of for a holy holy week.
Palaspas
Holy Week in Philippines starts with Palm Sunday when the Catholics bring palm fronds or palaspas and have them blessed during mass.
The palaspas are often brought back home and hung on doors and altars to ward off evil spirits from one’s home
Pabasa or Pasyon
This is usually a family tradition that involves relatives and neighbors on Holy Monday. This is the reading and chanting of the life and passion of Christ in dialects in strange guttural tones. The singing can go on and on sometimes reaching two straight days and usually happens in someone’s home or in local churches.
Flagellation
Some Filipinos feel the need for restitution from their sins by walking barefooted under the hot sun and flagellating themselves with ropes and broken pieces of glass attached with strings to bamboo sticks. This cringe worthy spectacle is gruesome but a sight to see in churches in the provinces of Pampanga, Tarlac, Rizal the Tagalog region.
(Note: I don't recommend doing it yourself. Seeing it will trigger enough remorse for a lifetime)