From the eyes of a foreigner like me, I have observed that Holy Week or “Semana Santa” is one of the most important annual religious festivities in the Philippines, being a traditionally solemn time for atonement which starts on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Sunday. Holy Week in the Philippines is also the time when people to go church every day and some fast on meat as early as the onset of Ash Wednesday. During the celebration of Palm Sunday which commemorates the entry of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem, Filipinos bring Palaspas (Palm Fronds) to church to be blessed by the priests; after which these fronds are brought home to be placed at doorposts or windows. During the Holy week, especially after Holy Tuesday, most places are eerily quiet with TV and radio stations going off the air and no loud noises can be heard around. This is a moment when most Filipino Catholics either eat only fish or the more devout ones go on liquid fast. During Holy Friday, many businesses are closed so people make sure they have enough food supplies and other necessities until shops resume operations as early as Saturday.
The traditional Pabasa is the “reading” or chanting of verses from the pasyon, a narrative book of the life, passion, death and resurrection of Christ. The reading starts Palm Sunday and ends Maundy Thursday. It was a great moment of faith experience for me as I participated in it in some chapels around us. On Maundy Thursday, the ceremony of washing of the feet is observed in all Catholic churches and every Filipino Catholic is expected to attend the Charism Mass in their respective diocesan cathedrals. This day is a memorable day for me because I was feeling feverish but God gave me the strength to wake up at 5am to get myself ready to attend the Charism Mass at the Cathedral. When we arrived at the Cathedral, it was already full of people and I was so amazed to see such a huge crowd praying and meditating. However, it was a special moment for me to see all the priests from the Diocese of Novaliches gather around their Shepherd for the celebration of the Charism Mass and the renewal of their priestly commitment. Here in the Philippines, Catholics also observe the tradition of visiting a number of churches usually seven, on Holy Thursday or Good Friday. This church visitation is called the Visita Iglesia. During the Visita Iglesia, many churchgoers either recite the Stations of the Cross or pray silently on their own. Others even Visit as many as 14 churches to symbolize the fourteen stations.
The celebration of the Good Friday in the Philippines commemorates the Crucifixion and death of Christ. On this day, we took part in the station of the cross which is the scene-by-scene reenactment of the event leading up to Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. We started the station of the cross very early in the morning from the parish with the dramatization of the Last Supper which was well organized by the youth in the parish. The dramatization of the station of the cross was a deep and a solemn moment for me and I saw many Filipinos stop at each station to pray and meditate. On my way home after the station of the cross, I saw processions of religious icons on top of Carrozas (Carriages) and religious images and statues in black veils symbolizing mourning over the death of Jesus. In the afternoon of the same day, we went to the parish for the meditation on the seven last words of Jesus on the cross and the veneration of the cross at 3pm. After the veneration of the cross, there was the grand procession of the Santo Entierro (the dead body of Christ) followed by his sorrowful mother (Birhen Dolorosa). It was a touching moment for me and I was so perplexed to see statues of Jesus and Mama Mary carried by men and women walking in silence. Black Saturday is when Christ is entombed. On this day, many Filipinos spend the day preparing for the night vigil leading up to Easter Sunday.
At four O’clock in the morning, we joined the Filipinos to do the Salubong, a ceremony that dramatizes the first meeting of Mary and Christ after His resurrection. It begins with two processions, where the images of Christ and Mary are carried from opposite ends of the parish. On this day, I joined the procession with the image of the Risen Lord. The image of Mama Mary was covered by a black veil of mourning called Lambong. Eventually, the two statues met at a midpoint in front of Saint Francis Xavier Parish Church, during which an Angel typically played by a young girl from the parish community lifted the veil form the face of Mama Mary, ending her mourning and Holy Week celebrations. Flower petals and confetti rained down on them. At this point, I saw the sorrowful crowd burst into tears of joy and everyone was happy that Jesus has resurrected from the dead. It was an amazing moment for me to see for the first time such a tremendous act of Faith displayed by the Filipinos. Indeed, it was a wonderful commemoration that I will never forget in my life. Maligayang pagkabuhay sa inyong lahat. Maraming maraming salamat po mga kapatid.
