how to celebrate holy week in the philippines

In many provinces, it is held continuously day and night sometimes for as long as three straight days. The ritual mourning and generally sombre mood of the day gave rise to the Tagalog idiom “Mukhâ kang Biyernes Santo” (“You’ve a face like Good Friday.”) The phrase refers to a sad person's demeanor resembling that of the suffering Christ. - Advertisement - The annual celebration of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is considered the highlight of the whole liturgical year in the church and normally gathers Filipinos to assemble in festive celebrations. * On Maundy Thursday morning, there is no mass. Holy Week in the Philippines or Semana Santa is a week of solemn contemplation on the passion and suffering of Jesus before his death. Philippine Traditions during Holy Week . Whether the priest himself or a statue is used to represent Christ, a custom is for women to cover the processional route with tapis (literally, “wraparound”), which are large, heirloom cloth skirts or aprons made exclusively for this ritual. Another Filipino tradition for the Holy Week is the "penitensya" or penance. Television and radio stations also broadcast their own special Siete Palabras programmes from large churches in Manila, usually beginning at noon so as to end before the veneration service. Holy Week in the Philippines in the year 2014 will be on April 13-19. The blessing of palms and the intonation of the antiphon often occurs in the church's parvise, its parking lot, or the town plaza, which usually is in front of or near the church (a common layout in most Philippine settlements). Easter (Linggó ng Pagkabuhay) is marked with joyous celebrations, the first being the pre-dawn rite called Salubong in Filipino and Sugat in Cebuano and Hiligaynon (both calques of the rite's Spanish name Encuentro, "meeting"). This is a Filipino belief that blessed palm can bring good fortune, as well as remove any negativity, in the household. Every year people gather to celebrate Holy Week in anticipation of Easter. On this day, Jesus also washed his disciples’ feet, including Judas’. Filipinos typically spend the day preparing for the night vigil leading up to Easter Sunday. Holy Wednesday (Miyérkules Santo) is officially the last working day of the week. [11] “Pagtaltal” means to remove. Good Friday Good Friday marks the day Jesus was tortured and forced to walk up Golgotha, the place of his crucifixion and death, which occurred at approximately 3 pm. There is a particular type of anting-anting for every need: for passing exams, childbirth, protection from danger, love, good business, or invincibility. The reunited congregation then gathers inside the church for the first Mass of Easter. This includes swimming in a river or the sea, as superstition warns against bathing on Good Friday afternoon. This continues until the Salubong. The dance is divided into two parts, the "mourning" section and the "joyful" version. This Kapampangan tradition began in 1955 after writer Ricardo Navarro came up with the play narrating Jesus’ story, and the actual crucifixions followed in 1962. To present the entire story, plays are held each night beginning from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. The religious images are often veiled in black and carried through towns in carrozas (carriages). Filipinos often keep the palm leaves till the next year. Canonisation of popes John Paul II and John XXIII has got Catholics showing their devotion to the extreme. Some are centuries old and were commissioned from the famous talleres (studios) of the santeros Asunción and Máximo Vicente. The highlight of this procession would be the search of Jesus by the tres marias (Three Marias, referring to Maria Magdalena, the sinner turned saint; Maria Cleofe, mother of the apostle James the Younger; and Maria Jacobe, mother of the apostles James the Greater and John). A complimentary drink of water is also given by local residents living along the processional route. Maundy Thursday (Huwebes Santo) is the first statutory public holiday of the week, and marks the beginning of the Paschal Triduum. Most commercial establishments operate on shorter hours, with smaller enterprises in many areas remaining closed until Easter Sunday or Easter Monday, but some return to normal in major urban areas. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines released guidelines for bishops and priests in the country on how to celebrate the liturgies of Holy Week as the country deals with the outbreak. In the seventies, the Holy Week Procession of Malabon consisted of 30 silver carrozas. Location: Iloilo City. The clergy on the day renew their priestly vows. At each station, a hymn is sung and a crier, turning towards the bier, shouts three times in Spanish, "¡Señor! Filipinos often keep the palm leaves till the next year. * There are no activities on Saturday. Many factors contribute to this, such as foreign influence and secularization. This was later transferred to Holy Wednesday for Latin Rite Catholics, with the Philippine Independent Church (which separated from Rome in the early 20th century) retaining the Maundy Thursday date. The most striking feature of Holy Week celebrations in the Philippines is the sight of Filipinos publicly whipping themselves. Thus, the drama ends with the removal or bringing down the body of Jesus Christ from the cross and is laid in the arms of Mother Mary, a familiar scene we all know and called as the “Pieta.”[12], Backed up by a strong Christian community, Jordan has registered its first festival in Pagtaltal sa Jordan, Guimaras, a Good Friday spectacle. Holy Saturday is sometimes known in the Philippines as Black Saturday, or still in Spanish as Sabado Santo, or as Sabado de Gloria in reference to the renewed chanting of the Gloria during the Easter Vigil. The image of Mary will be brought to the image of Christ at a local church, where people throw flower petals and sing songs of glory. Banahaw (believed to be a sacred mountain) on Good Friday to empower it there themselves. The icon of the Virgin Mary, still called the Mater Dolorosa, is clothed or draped in a black veil (Tagalog: lambóng) to show her bereavement. Does this qualify her as state witness? Unfortunately, the Holy Week Images from Cagayan were destroyed by the war and similarly the Tres Caidas of Binan. [5] Throughout the day, worshipers pray the Stations of the Cross inside or outside the church, while at night, the faithful pay obeisance and perform supplications to the Blessed Sacrament within the Altar of Repose.[6]. Churches remain open until midnight for those who want to venerate the Blessed Sacrament, with others going to one of several priests on standby to confess their sins. Recharging of anting-anting is usually done through repeatedly chanting Latin incantations (copies of which may also be bought) while holding the talisman. Good Friday (Biyernes Santo) is the second public holiday of the week, and considered the most solemn day of the year. An example is the Archdiocese of Lipa where the Chrism Mass is held instead on Holy Tuesday. In some places (most famously in the province of Pampanga as Maleldo), the day's processions include devotees who self-flagellate and sometimes even have themselves nailed to crosses. Was Napoles just a student in the PDAF Scam? On Holy Wednesday, a procession is held with Paete's 53 images of Christ's life and death. The palaspas will be blessed by the priest during mass. This solemn rite on Good Friday was attended by both local and foreign tourists. By custom, the two processions are sex-segregated, with male worshipers following the Risen Christ, twelve men dressed as the Apostles, and icons of male saints, while female congregants accompany icons of the Virgin Mary and female saints. Then there would be a three-act liturgy, and a procession of religious images at the end. Its highlight would be the image of the dead Jesus. With the passing of time, more and more Filipinos celebrate Holy Week in less traditional ways. There is no doubt that Filipinos take Holy Week seriously. 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