Holy Week in the Philippines

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu, like the rest of the Catholic Philippines, has a devotional tradition for the Holy Week. This tradition supposedly takes on an especially penitential tone. The whole nation has been consistent in observing the Holy Week, although recently the observance seems to have veered from religious to cultural.

In general, Filipinos, even those who tend not to be fully observant liturgically the rest of the year, see it as very important to participate in liturgies and devotions during the Holy Week. The order of Holy Week liturgical celebrations in the Philippines matches that of the Catholic Church worldwide, although certain ‘extra’ practices have also emerged alongside these.

In certain areas of the country, there have since been other Holy Week traditions that are not sanctioned – but instead, discouraged – by the Church. A main example is the mimicking of the Passion of Christ, particularly the Crucifixion.  For several years now in Cebu, the “pagpalansang sa krus” is a spectacle that draws huge crowds on Good Friday.

Similar practices also take place in other parts of the country. Events that often get the most exposure in media worldwide are from San Pedro Cutud, San Fernando, Pampanga province, where male devotees whip themselves bloody or are even tied or nailed to a cross to manifest Jesus’ suffering. Despite being discouraged by the Church, many Catholic faithful could not be swayed from the practice.

Most of the country’s Catholics make their own less extreme acts of penance or “penitensya.” Filipinos young and old often make a vow to participate in certain devotions, or to abstain from smoking, liquor, soft drinks, or meat over the course of the week.

Holy Thursday and Good Friday are national holidays in the country. Many Cebuanos take the whole week off from their jobs. Local television and radio stations all turn to religious programming or sign off starting on Maundy Thursday. Stores close on Good Friday. Black Saturday is a non-working holiday. Easter Sunday is not an official holiday, but is fully observed.

The Holy Week starts on Palm Sunday. As is true elsewhere, Palm Sunday has a festive element, recalling Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Still, the celebration takes place with awareness of the suffering that is to come, and in that way mirrors the ways of society and encourages self-reflection. Coconut leaves made into the form of the cross and other elaborate decorative forms would line the streets leading to churches, for sale. These are blessed at church before the Palm Sunday liturgy. Then, churchgoers take these home after Mass, to be attached at house doors and altars. It is the popular belief these palm crosses protect the household from danger.

Throughout the Holy Week, parishes offer nightly recollections after Mass. Certain parishes also offer retreats. In chapels, private residences and in offices, barangay halls, and even in prisons, people gather for Bible sharing, family Rosary, and other religious sessions.

Some parishes would stage a “senakulo,” a stage or street play about the life and Passion of Jesus. Some communities stage an outdoor “senakulo” that parades a figure of Jesus carrying the Cross through the streets, and emphasizes the violence and brutality of Jesus’ persecutors. In Luzon, especially in Bulacan, Rizal and Pampanga provinces, the “pabása” is also held which entails singing or reciting the Passion.

Religious processions are also held throughout Holy Week, with some variations on various days of the week. Big processions with statues of Jesus, Mother Mary, the 12 Apostles, and many saints take place Holy Wednesday, mostly at dusk or in the evening. The Saint Augustine Church, in Baliwag, Bulacan, is known to have the longest procession in the Philippines, with 111 richly adorned floats of dioramas depicting the scenes of the Passion and death of Jesus Christ, on Holy Wednesday and Holy Friday.

The primary liturgical focus of Holy Thursday is the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, with the ritual washing of the feet. Only men are chosen for the washing of the feet, usually men from the religious organizations of the parish. After this Mass, the altar is stripped bare, the religious images are covered, and the Blessed Sacrament is removed from the main tabernacle to an altar of repose.

Another important tradition on Holy Thursday is the Visita Iglesia, the visit to seven churches, which can sometimes extend into Good Friday. The visits involve prayer and reflection on Christ’s Passion.

On Good Friday, a solemn day when businesses close, fasting and abstinence are more strictly observed. In some parishes in Manila, and many parishes in the provinces, dawn processions are held recalling the Stations of the Cross using figures and stories of the Passion. 

Many parishes also set up stations for believers to walk the Way of the Cross and organize opportunities for preaching and reflection on the Seven Last Words of Jesus, both in churches and in other locations. At home, entire families listen to broadcast of the “Siete Palabras” (Seven Last Words) over radio stations that remain on-air for the purpose.

At 3 p.m., a Good Friday Service of Commemoration of the Passion takes place in the church. The kissing of an image of the dead body of Jesus, or “Santo Intierro,” is another Good Friday devotion that takes place in every church. In some churches, it includes a procession of the Santo Entierro, the Holy Burial, which includes carriages with statues of the story of the Passion. The main carriage is an elaborate casket in which the body of Jesus can be seen laid out, ready to be taken to his tomb.

Holy Saturday is observed with practices like Visita Iglesia, Stations of the Cross and confession continued for those who have not completed or not done it yet. Then the Midnight Mass, the Easter Vigil, is celebrated, usually with an outdoor fire built from wood, and the blessing of the Paschal candle.

The observance of the Holy Week in the country has since been seen to have somewhat lost its original sense of solemnity. Many people, especially the young, tend to take the activities during the week merely as an opportunity to gather together and have some fun. This attitude of the young is a big disappointment to the older faithful. (Reference: www.catholicsandcultures.org)