Kjerstine Zagala, Margie Sawit / 752 words / History

The time surrounding Easter is a very important week in the Philippines, commonly referred to as Holy Week. This year it falls on 25 – 31 March. The most important religious days in Holy Week are Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Black Saturday, and Easter Sunday. These three days, starting on the Thursday evening, is also referred to as Paschal Triduum. The days follow the passion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, as portrayed in the Roman Catholic religion. Businesses often close their doors during this time.

Holy Week in Christianity is the week just before Easter. It is also the last week of Lent, in the West, – Palm Sunday, Holy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday – are all included.

Holy Week officially starts on Palm Sunday, which is the Sunday a week before Easter Sunday (also known as Resurrection Sunday). People of the church usually have a procession carrying palms, which represents the palm branches the crowd scattered in front of Jesus as he rode into Jerusalem. In many Christian churches, Palm Sunday is marked by the distribution of palm leaves (often tied into crosses) to the assembled worshipers. The difficulty of procuring palms for that day’s ceremonies in unfavorable climates for palms led to the substitution of boughs of box , yew , willow or other native trees. The Sunday was often designatedby the names of these trees, as Yew Sunday or by the general term BranchSunday. 

Monday, Tuesday and Holy Wednesday, these three days were fraught with conflict between Jesus and others.

On Monday, Jesus went to the temple and saw that the people were fowling their wares in the house of God. He got angry and discharged them out of the temple. He told them that the temple is for Prayer after that Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem.

Tuesday, Jesus was questioned by the Jewish leaders that is not convinced that Jesus is a messiah. Jesus told these leaders several parables in an effort to get them to believe that he was, indeed, the messiah. But still they did not believed.

On Wednesday, Jesus continued preaching his message to the people while the elders, chief priests and scribes began to plan his death. It’s on this day that Judas, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples, took a bribe to betray Jesus to those who wished to kill him. It’s the day Judas Iscariot decided to betray Jesus and started looking for an opportunity to do so.

Maundy Thursday commemorates the last supper Jesus shared with his disciples.

Good Friday is the day Jesus died on the cross. This is the time when many Filipinos refrain from engaging in worldly activities such as listening to loud music or drinking alcohol. Church services are held, usually around 15:00, the time Jesus died. Government offices, schools and most major establishments such as shopping malls are closed on Good Friday.

Black Saturday (or Holy Saturday) is a muted day across the country and the day Jesus lay in the tomb after his death.

Finally, on Easter Sunday, Filipinos celebrate the day Jesus was resurrected from the dead. They share a joyous meal after attending church services in the morning.

Penitence is an extremely different tradition which usually happens only when holy week. It is the great highlight of the event, the Easter Triduum. Fanatics of the penitence, do mortification of the flesh to ask for forgiveness of their sins or to grant their vow. Usually people who are doing this kind of sacrifice covers their face when the process starts, every place here in the Philippines has their own way of routes where will the fanatics go then in the final destination where the crucifixion will take place.

One of the most famous crucifixion that happens in the country is in Pampanga specifically in San Pedro Cutud, every year there are half a thousand or more people watching how the fanatics suffer physical pain in as a form of atonement, they usually use bamboo then puts blade or something sharp so when they pluck it in the back it will leave scratches until it draws blood under the sun.

Filipino Catholics are truly tradition-oriented, they make every tradition meaningful and celebrates every part of it.

There are many cheerful events happening in the Philippines around Easter. These include flagellant ceremonies, Stations of the Cross processions various Passion plays.

Next year, the Holy Week 2019 will begin on Sunday, 14 April and will end on Saturday, 20^th of April.