IN April, just as the summer heat begins to reach its peak, the Philippines joins the rest of the Christian world in the observance of the Holy Week, also known as Semana Santa. Holy Week recalls Christ’s passion, death, and Resurrection. Of Hispanic heritage, the Semana Santa rituals are given a distinct pagan flavor by Filipinos who both mourn and celebrate the Holy Week.

From Ash Wednesday to Good Friday, a piercing lamentation fills the air as the life of Christ is chanted in gatherings called “pabasa,” also known as “pasyon.” Participants of the pabasa read from the Holy Book and recite the Passion and death of Christ in a sing-song manner. There are as many versions of the pabasa as there are dialects. The reading is usually done by old women in the town chapel or visita. Sometimes the pabasa is sung before altars set up in homes and electronically amplified for the townspeople.

Natatandaan ko pa ang pabasa sa bahay ng kapatid ng aking ina, kina Tio Delfin. Minana pa nila ang imahen ng Nazareno sa kanilang mga ninuno. Taon-taon ginaganap ang pabasa sa kanilang bahay sa Dapitan. Maghapon ang kainan. Sa napakaraming putahe, walang kasamang ulam na baboy. Ang especial na ulam kung Viernes Santo o Good Friday ay bacalao na niluto sa olive oil at may kasamang garbanzos at red bell pepper. Everyone is welcome to partake of the food.

When I was a kid, I remember how the Lenten season transforms the church patios in the provinces into a miniature Jerusalem. Every Sunday during the Lent, thousands of devotees flock to nearby churches to do the Station of the Cross or the Via Crusis before fourteen crosses planted in the church courtyard.

On the sixth Sunday of Lent, the Domingo de Ramos, Christ’s entry into Jerusalem is celebrated amid cries of “Hosannah” and a colorful array of “palaspas,” made from coconut leaves artistically woven together at the base, ribboned, and delicately knotted into butterfly-like danglers simulating the palm and olive that admiring zealots waved during Christ’s entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

Lenten Procession

From the time I was a kid, my extreme fascination for Holy Week processions has not waned. Noong ako ay bata pa, I remember watching the karos (floats or carrozas) on Taft Avenue in Manila near our house. I used to cover my eyes every time the gorier scenes of the Passion were depicted on the carozas. I was particularly frightened by the bulging eyes of the Roman centurions as they were shown scourging Jesus.

My friends Gerard Sta. Juana and Alvin Hernandez have invited me this year to their hometown of Baliuag, Bulacan to watch the “Prosisyon ng mga Santo,” the town’s main Lenten attraction. It is a parade of 60 lavishly decorated floats. It is one of the places in Bulacan that feature magnificent antique and/or life-size religious icons or santos depicting almost all the scenes of Christ’s Passion. The images have now become a living testament to the rich blend of Christian and folk traditions in Philippine religious observance. The affluent families own the images and they dole out their own resources to finance the processions. Malaking halaga rin ang nagagastos sa prosisyon dahil sa musiko (a marching band or singers called Stabat Mater), gayak (the décor), vestments usually in velvet or satin embroidered with gold thread and embellished with precious stones, at caridad (the meals served to all who helped in the preparations and all the devotees).

Penitencia sa Pilipinas

Isang kaugalian sa Pilipinas na malinaw na nakaukit sa aking isipan ay ang penitencia (self-flagellation). Self-flagellation is performed during Holy Week, on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, as a ritual re-enactment of the scourging of Jesus Christ at the pillar. Penitencia is practiced in the Philippines as a contractual sacrifice, based on a vow (panata) to God, sworn for a fixed period, usually between five and 15 years. The panata is often made during a time of crisis or difficulty, the most common of which involves the illness of a close kin. While adult males practice self-flagellation as a way of reliving the suffering of Christ, the flagellant is also sharing (damay) in the pain of a sick relative and trying to ease it by offering himself as a sacrifice.

Cenaculo

Isang kaugalian na aking nakagisnan ay ang pagdaraos ng Cenaculo tuwing Mahal na Araw. The Cenaculo is a reenactment of the Passion of Christ that begins on the eve of the Holy Week (Palm Sunday or Palaspas) and ends on the night of East Sunday (Salubong). Kasama ng ang aking mga tiya at mga pinsan, dumadayo kami sa iba’t-ibang lugar sa Pasay, gaya ng Malibay, para manood ng Cenaculo. Ang Cenaculo ay parang teleserye. Sinusubaybayan ang bawat kabanata hanggang sa katapusan. For a while, I was under the impression the Cenaculo was extinct. I was wrong. I was told there are still places in the Philippines that still stage the Cenaculo.

Reliving the Lenten Season
in the Philippines

Ayan kabayan, siguro naunawaan na ninyo ang dahilan ng aking paglalakbay sa Pilipinas. I wanted to relive the Lenten rites and practices that I’ve come to know and experience from my childhood. In the Philippines, the commemoration of Christ’s death becomes witness to a culture bursting with life and lore. As I watch the Prosisyon, I can easily relate to the story of the Passion of Christ. The symbolisms are impeccable. I am not shy to let you know that I have aged but I am proud that I have been a part of the many beautiful Lenten rites and practices in our country. Marami akong naging karanasan na hindi maaring tumbasan ng anumang halaga ng salapi. They are priceless.