John Conteh, s.x
From the point of view of a foreigner like me, I have observed that Holy Week or “Semana Santa” is one of the most important annual religious celebrations in the Philippines. It is a traditionally solemn time for atonement , which starts on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Sunday. Holy Week in the Philippines is the time when people go to church every day. Some people fast from meat as early as the beginning of Lent, i.e. Ash Wednesday. During the celebration of Palm Sunday, which commemorates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, Filipinos bring Palaspas (Palm Fronds) to church to be blessed by the priests; after which these fronds are brought home to be placed on doorposts or Windows.
During the Holy week, especially after Holy Tuesday, most places are eerily quiet with TV, with radio stations going off the air and no loud noises can be heard all around. This is a moment when most Filipino Catholics either eat only fish or the more devout ones abstain from drink. During Holy Friday, many businesses are closed, so people make sure they have enough food supplies and other necessities until shops resume operations on Saturday.
The traditional Pabasa is the reading or chanting of the verses of the pasyon, a narrative of the life, passion and death of Christ. The reading starts on Palm Sunday and ends on Maundy Thursday. It was a great moment of faith experience for me as I participated in it in some chapels near us. On Maundy Thursday, the ceremony of washing of the feet is observed in all Catholic churches. All Filipino Catholics are expected to attend the Chrism 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 Chrism 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 Chrism 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 follow in prayer and meditation the Stations of the Cross or pray silently on their own. Others visit even as many as 14 churches, to symbolize the fourteen stations.
The celebration of Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion and death of Christ. On this day, we took part in the stations of the cross, which is the scene-by-scene re-enactment of the events leading up to Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. We started the stations of the cross very early in the morning from the parish church with the dramatization of the Last Supper, which was well organized by the youth of the parish. The dramatization of the stations 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 stations 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 4 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 St Francis Xavier’s Parish Church. Here an Angel, typically played by a young girl from the parish community, lifted the veil from the face of Mama Mary, ending her mourning and the 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 risen 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 for the rest of my life. Maligayang pagkabuhay sa inyong lahat. Maraming maraming salamat po mga kapatid.
From the point of view of a foreigner like me, I have observed that Holy Week or “Semana Santa” is one of the most important annual religious celebrations in the Philippines. It is a traditionally solemn time for atonement , which starts on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Sunday. Holy Week in the Philippines is the time when people go to church every day. Some people fast from meat as early as the beginning of Lent, i.e. Ash Wednesday. During the celebration of Palm Sunday, which commemorates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, Filipinos bring Palaspas (Palm Fronds) to church to be blessed by the priests; after which these fronds are brought home to be placed on doorposts or Windows.
During the Holy week, especially after Holy Tuesday, most places are eerily quiet with TV, with radio stations going off the air and no loud noises can be heard all around. This is a moment when most Filipino Catholics either eat only fish or the more devout ones abstain from drink. During Holy Friday, many businesses are closed, so people make sure they have enough food supplies and other necessities until shops resume operations on Saturday.
The traditional Pabasa is the reading or chanting of the verses of the pasyon, a narrative of the life, passion and death of Christ. The reading starts on Palm Sunday and ends on Maundy Thursday. It was a great moment of faith experience for me as I participated in it in some chapels near us. On Maundy Thursday, the ceremony of washing of the feet is observed in all Catholic churches. All Filipino Catholics are expected to attend the Chrism 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 Chrism 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 Chrism 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 follow in prayer and meditation the Stations of the Cross or pray silently on their own. Others visit even as many as 14 churches, to symbolize the fourteen stations.
The celebration of Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion and death of Christ. On this day, we took part in the stations of the cross, which is the scene-by-scene re-enactment of the events leading up to Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. We started the stations of the cross very early in the morning from the parish church with the dramatization of the Last Supper, which was well organized by the youth of the parish. The dramatization of the stations 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 stations 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 4 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 St Francis Xavier’s Parish Church. Here an Angel, typically played by a young girl from the parish community, lifted the veil from the face of Mama Mary, ending her mourning and the 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 risen 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 for the rest of my life. Maligayang pagkabuhay sa inyong lahat. Maraming maraming salamat po mga kapatid.