Holy Week

Easter in the Philippines is one of the most culturally interesting times you will ever experience.

One of the defining elements is “panata” which means to take a vow or make a promise. Take for instance the “pabasa”, my land lady made a “panata” to do “pabasa” at her house every year. But there are plenty of other “panatas” that people make. The most famous of all are “penitensya” and “crucifixion”. Take for instance the story I saw of a guy who made a “panata” because God saved his wife and child during a complicated delivery. He made a promise to put small incisions in his back then whip it with pieces of bamboo whilst walking 15 kms and then crucify himself with real nails in his hands the following day for as long as he could every year for 15 years. Some people may question the sanity of such people or just view it as a spectacle, but after watching the video I was struck by the guy’s willingness to follow through with such a difficult promise.

In addition to this people buy, sell and wave palm branches everywhere on Palm Sunday. It’s quite a business here. And on Thursday and Friday literally everything stops in Manila, even the malls. It’s the best time of year to drive around the city because no one is on the roads! I didn’t get to see it but apparently in the province of Marinduque people dress up in masks and act out a traditional Filipino Catholic story of trying to find a Roman soldier trying to hide from the authorities.

Yep, Easter in the Philippines is certainly interesting.