Philippines Holy Week Traditions

The Philippines is known to be a Christian country, mostly Roman Catholic.  The month of April marks the celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection or what we call Holy Week or “Semana Santa”, a week leading up to Easter.   People refrain from eating meat, visit churches, attend processions, read the Passion of Christ, and generally observe a period of prayer.

Modern day Filipinos take this as an opportunity to escape from the hustle and bustle of the urban living.  People in the cities pack up and leave for the provinces, they take advantage of the four-day weekend that begins on Holy Thursday.

Holy Monday to Holy Wednesday is the beginning of the Pabasa (literally, "reading") It refers to the verse narrative on the life and sufferings of Jesus Christ.  A tradition that remained well preserved particularly in the provinces, where it is held continuously day and night sometimes for as long as three straight days.

Passion plays or Sinakulo – is a Lenten play narrates a sequence of episodes from Old and New Testaments, emphasis on the life, sufferings and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It takes eight nights from Palm Sunday to Easter  to present the entire Sinakulo.

For those who wants to stay in the city during the Lent celebration, locals do one of their favorite Maundy Thursday ritual which is the Visita Iglesia , where they visit seven churches in one day.  A tradition introduced by the Spaniards from the time of early church where Christians visits seven great basilicas in Rome for the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

Good Friday In some communities (most famously in the province of Pampanga), devotees re-enacted Jesus Christ’s suffering by having themselves nailed to crosses as an expression of penance After three o'clock in the afternoon of Good Friday (the time at which Jesus is traditionally believed to have died), noise is discouraged and the faithful are urged to keep a solemn and prayerful disposition.

The yearly tradition has become a tourist attraction, especially in San Fernando's San Pedro Cutud village, which sometimes draws thousands of local and foreign tourists.

Black Saturday or Sabado De Gloria is a special non-working day throughout the country in observance of  Holy Week’s traditions. Black Saturday is traditionally observed with silence and solemnity. Preparations are made for the Easter Vigil to be celebrated that evening.

Easter or “ The Salubong” ( meeting ) a joyous celebration begins at dawn ceremony, a theatrical play wherein the statue of the risen Christ meeting his Mother Mary. The two images will come from the different sides of the street and meet at the church’s façade where the parishioners clap their hands, cheers  and sing praises of hymn. This is followed by pealing bells, fireworks and the joyous Easter Mass celebration. The mood is festive and the people are busy preparing an Easter feast.

A unique experience for tourists who would like to witness the Filipino way of celebrating Holy Week, and for us locals, a time for family reunions, penance and reflections.