IN PHOTOS: 8 Local Holy Week Traditions We’ll Miss This Year
In the Philippines, Holy Week is a time for reflection and taking part in religious traditions that have been passed on for generations. This year, however, will be a little different, as the country is in a state of Enhanced Community Quarantine. Let’s relive the local Holy Week traditions that commemorate the life and passion of Christ
Holy Week is the most anticipated solemn Christian tradition, but because of the Covid-19 pandemic, we will have to forgo this time-honored religious observance. With the varying degrees of community quarantine being implemented across the country, the rituals will be through remote online broadcasts from the nearest parish church.
Check out the gallery below for some of the top rituals and traditions that will be missed, but we look forward to taking part in next year:
8 Holy Week Traditions We’ll Miss This Year
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Moriones Festival
This 1800s tradition in Marinduque was made popular by the iconic moryons or men dressed in the full-regalia of the Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus. They are part of the street theater on the legendary Longinus, the centurion who commanded the troops who carried out the crucifixion and became a convert to the faith in the Risen Christ. The play culminates with the “Pugutan” episode where Longinus is ordered beheaded by Pontius Pilate. The moryon masks and costumes vary in color and styles in the different towns of Sta. Cruz, Gasan, Boac and Mogpog, where it originated.
Photo Credit: Bernard L. Supetran
Crucifixion rituals
While actual nailing on the cross is discouraged by the Roman Catholic Church, there’s no stopping people with decades-old panata o devotion from undergoing this ritual. The village of San Pedro Cutud in San Fernando City, Pampanga has developed a following among devotees, tourists and kibitzers for the crucifixion on Good Friday. Another town where Crucifixion is a public spectacle is Paombong, Bulacan, which is also known for hooded male flagellants.
Photo Credit: By istolethetv - Flickr: trio, CC BY 2.0
Good Friday Processions
The most somber ritual of the Holy Week which is observed in all nearly all towns. But not all processions are created equal as certain areas seem to be more exciting due to the huge number of carrozas (statues on carriages) being processed. Malolos, Bulakan and Baliuag in Bulacan, Taal in Batangas, San Pablo City in Laguna, Vigan City in Ilocos Sur, Angeles City in Pampanga, and Carcar City in Cebu have a remarkable array of centuries-old carrozas which belong to family heirlooms handed down through generations. These places also have Spanish-era churches, ancestral mansions and monuments which have withstood the ravages of time. In Manila, antique carrozas, mostly coming from the San Agustin Church and the Immaculate Conception Cathedral and toured around the Walled City of Intramuros for devotees to stayed in the big city.
Photo Credit: Bernard L. Supetran
Panaad Festival
The island province of Camiguin in northern Mindanao is known for this penance ritual where some 30,000 devotees walk around its the 64-km circumferential road, from sunset on Maundy Thursday and is completed within 24 hours, making stops for prayer and personal needs. The penitential walk winds at the Stations of the Cross at the Vulcan Daan which can be reached through a cemented staircase up the old volcano where pilgrims pause for meditations at each of the 15 life-size stations.
Photo Credit: Bernard L. Supetran
Pagtaltal
This is the traditional cenaculo or dramatization of Jesus Christ’s Passion, which Guimaras folks have elevated in production values inspired by the German epic Oberrammergau. It begins on Good Friday at the Smallest Plaza in Jordan town, and ends up at the top of Balaan Bukid for the crucifixion scene. Along the hill is the 14 Stations of the Cross, and on its summit is the Ave Maria Purisima Chapel and a big white cross.
Photo Credit: Bernard L. Supetran
Pamalandong ha Palo
A Visayan word which literally means “reflection,” this is a lesser-known ritual made unique by the the Tais-Dupol barefoot devotees masked in pointed hoods and robes asking for alms around the town of Palo, Leyte. There is also the Good Friday cenaculo around the Metropolitan Cathedral where the hooded penitents act part as marshals of the street play. Meanwhile, locals and pilgrims ascent the historic 522-foot high Guinhangdan Hill with a huge cross at the summit.
Photo Credit: Bernard L. Supetran
Healing Festival
A throwback to the precolonial era where the folk healer or herbularyo or albularyo is a revered figure in the community, this is a recent festivity out of the usual Church-sanctioned rites. Held at the Bandilaan Mountain View Park at Cantabon, Siquijor, this was introduced to counter the province’s negative image for sorcery. Local healers, most of whom are Roman Catholics, believe that Good Friday brings extraordinary powers from God which can heal the even most serious illnesses. The elaborate ritual starts with the pangalap or gathering of different herb species for the seven Fridays of the Lenten Season, the trek to the mountain on Maundy Thursday, and the pag-adlep where the herbal medicine ingredients are prepared.
Photo Credit: Siquijor Tourism FB
Resurrection Sunday
The most joyous Christian feast, this celebrates Christ’s resurrection through a pre-dawn Holy Mass and the salubong ritual where the carrozas of the Risen Christ meets his mother and other women who attended his burial. A little girl dressed as a winged angel is lowered down from a tower within the church compound and takes away the black veil of Mary to symbolize the end of mourning. In some rural areas, the observance is concluded with the bati or liturgical dance by girls in white gowns.
Photo Credit: Maria Salvador Tan (ABS-CBN News)
