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how to celebrate holy week in the philippines

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"). In the Philippines, Spanish-influenced Catholicism melds with precolonial rituals to influence Holy Week celebrations. Instead, priests go to see their archbishop who institutes the priesthood’s sacrament of ordination or their renewal of vows. The thousands of local and foreign tourists eager to watch them celebrate are proof of that. Ang Pagtaltal is a holy Lenten presentation staged on the hillside of Jordan, Guimaras every Good Friday, patterned to Oberammergau in Southern Bavaria, Germany. Date: Every fourth weekend of January. Around this time, provinces like Marinduque celebrate the Moriones Festival. Holy Week in the Philippines (Filipino: Mahal na Araw; Spanish: Semana Santa) is a significant religious observance for the country's Catholic majority, the Iglesia Filipina Independiente or the Philippine Independent Church and most Protestant groups. Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese leader who was then serving under the Spanish crown, bargained with Rajah Humabon, the leader of Cebu for trade materials and foreign lands. Easter and Holy Week are a pretty big deal in the Philippines, which is one of the most religious countries in the world, with over 95% of the population actively practicing religion. Nationwide, the veneration service begins silently in unlit churches at 15:00 PST (GMT+8), remembering the “ninth hour” that was the instant Christ died according to the Gospels. Mass is not celebrated on this day. In the evening, long processions depicting the Passion of Christ are held in towns throughout the provinces of Pampanga, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, and in the Ilocandia, as well as in Makati in Metro Manila. This Mass, which is presided by the bishop of the diocese, is when the Chrism, oil of catechumens and the oil for the sick are consecrated after the homily. This includes swimming in a river or the sea, as superstition warns against bathing on Good Friday afternoon. The service ends abruptly with a somber procession of the Blessed Sacrament, which is brought to the church's Altar of Repose. These are: the meeting of Christ and Mary, held at the church patio; the wiping of Jesus' face by Veronica, which takes place at Plaza Edesan; and finally, the encounter between Mary and Veronica where the latter shows the miraculous imprints of Christ's face on her cloth. There is St. Peter holding the heavenly keys, the beloved St. John, the Three Marys, St. Veronica with her white veil implanted with Christ's image, Mary Magdalene bearing small bottles of oil and perfume, and the Virgin of Sorrows. * On Maundy Thursday morning, there is no mass. At 10 or 11pm there would be the Soledad Procession. Holy Week is the week before Easter Sunday, beginning seven days before with Palm Sunday. The term Sábado de Gloria (Spanish for Gloria Saturday) refers to the return of the Gloria in Excelsis Deo during the Easter Vigil held on this day. Called “Sayaw ng Pagbati” (Welcome dance) or “Bati-bati” for short, this ritual dancing shows up to what pious length the local faithful are prepared to take just to tell the world that “Christ is risen”.[13]. Believers of anting-anting claim that the best time to recharge the spiritual energy of their talisman is during the night of Good Friday. This makes it one of the … The reunited congregation then gathers inside the church for the first Mass of Easter. In addition to the Holy Week Masses, processions, rituals of chanting the Passion in homes, and a tradition called Visita Iglesia, when Catholics vow to visit at least seven churches between Holy Thursday and Good Friday, many Filipino communities also host street plays, called senakulo, that reenact the life and Passion of Jesus. Danny, Entertainment News Sports Upcoming Shows & Events (EU) Upcoming Shows & Events (PH) Featured Videos Featured Photos, History Geography Language Filipino Icons Philippine Literature Philippine Folk SongsPhilippine Myths & Legends. While frowned upon by the Church, devotees consider these to be personal expressions of penance, whether in fulfilment of a vow or in thanksgiving for a prayer granted. 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. This continues until the Salubong. The palaspas will be blessed by the priest during mass. Filipinos often keep the palm leaves till the next year. Holy Week is believed to be the best time to recharge your anting-anting. By Mark Aserit ([email protected]) Mar 25, 2016 01:57 AM EDT Comment. [2] Many communities observe Spanish-influenced Catholic rituals such as processions, that have been syncretised with elements of precolonial beliefs. Cross on Forehead. Related: Things You Need to Know Before Traveling to the Philippines. This year, Holy Week is from 14 April, Palm Sunday to 19 April, Easter Sunday. Across the world, people will celebrate in different ways. * During Holy Monday, Tuesday, and Spy Wednesday, Filipinos often abstain from eating meat, and devout followers often go on a full liquid diet. Radios and televisions are turned off, and folks try to limit conversation. In the seventies, the Holy Week Procession of Malabon consisted of 30 silver carrozas. Part of the Holy Week celebration is Good Friday. An outdoor Senakulo often parades a figure of Jesus carrying the Cross through the streets, and emphasizes the violence and brutality of Jesus’ persecutors. Among the country's famous and elaborate calandaras are those of Agoo, Bacolor, Baliwag, Guagua, Molo, Iloilo, Paete, San Pablo, Sasmuan, Silay, and Vigan. Since Pasig is older than the other towns of the former Province of Tondo, it was suggested that the Pasig ceremony inspired those in Makati, Parañaque and other towns which had Augustinian parishes. 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. Popular film and televisions stars often join the cast of the play. - 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. ‘Morion’ means mask, and was once a standard part of a Roman soldier’s helmet. Does this qualify her as state witness? These celebrations involve some of the most unique, sometimes taboo, practices that reflect the Filipinos’ devotion to their faith and ingenuity to keeping it alive. Thus, colourful Roman costumes, painted masks and helmets characterize this uniquely Filipino festival. Holy Week in the Philippines. These practices often remember events that occurred in Jesus’ life and death. The hymn is absent throughout Lent except on solemnities and Maundy Thursday. Then there would Mass, ringing of bells, singing of alleluia, which signifies the resurrection of Jesus – back to joy. 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. ("Lord! 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. Instead, people gather in churches in the afternoon for the Veneration of Cross service and the Mass of the Presanctified. The antiphon's text, whether the Latin original or a vernacular translation, is sung to traditional hymn tunes. Black Saturday or Holy Saturday (Sábado de Gloria) is the third and final public holiday of the week. Priests and religious statues are dressed in purple to symbolize gloom. Taking their cue from the marching band, they will dance for hours till noon to the tune of joyful music as they wave their wands in the air. 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. Activity starts only at 10 pm with the blessing of the fire by the priest. People wait up to 12 midnight. The maidens meditate and mourn, reenacting the burial that Christ's female disciples gave him. Holy Week in the Philippines or Semana Santa is a week of solemn contemplation on the passion and suffering of Jesus before his death. Easter is not part of Holy Week, but rather the beginning of the Easter season of the Liturgical year. This is held at the town plaza. [4] Holy Tuesday is a regular working day and is sometimes the last full one preceding half- or full-day holidays given by some private companies on Holy Wednesday. It is traditionally a solemn occasion, most commonly known as Semana Santa in the Philippines and other countries. International cable television channels distributed to the Philippines, however, continue to broadcast their normal programming, while channels dedicated to horse racing, cockfighting and similar niche programming go off-air during the Triduum. When mass is finished, people take their newly blessed palm leaves home. The highlight was the Tres Caidas either from Talleres Maximo or Asuncion. In some parish, "Tenebrae" service usually held on Holy Wednesday that involves the gradual extinguishing of candles on a Tenebrae hearse, readings related to the Passion of Jesus, and the strepitus (loud noise). Secillano said a way to practice this is to make some sacrifices like quitting a vice, among others. Two processions emerged from the church and met in front of the town or city plaza or in a designated place assigned in the area, wherein Mother and Son greeted each other to the tune of Regina Coeli sung by children. [11] “Pagtaltal” means to remove. Prior to the Second Vatican Council, the Procession of the Passion of Christ was held on Maundy Thursday. Third are the Tres Marías (English: Three Marys), three older girls dressed in pink and also bearing baskets. Practices like Visita Iglesia and Stations of the Cross and confession are part of the day for many families who have not done this already. Maundy Thursday (Huwebes Santo) is the first statutory public holiday of the week, and marks the beginning of the Paschal Triduum. On this day, Jesus also washed his disciples’ feet, including Judas’. Holy week is no ordinary week for Filipinos. Holy Week always takes place the week before Easter, but does not include Easter itself. During this time, the Catholic faithful in the Philippines take a pause to reflect Jesus … 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). These include Penitensya or self-flagellations and crucifixions. The Mass of the Presanctified is said at the altar stripped of decorations, and without the Anaphora as the sacramental bread was already consecrated on Maundy Thursday. The presiding priest, vested in a stole and cope of red (the prescribed liturgical colour of the day), either walks the route or, in imitation of Jesus’ triumphal entry, is led on horseback to the church. Once the procession reaches the church or some other designated spot, children dressed as angels strew flowers and sing the day's processional antiphon, Hosanna Filio David (“Hosanna to the Son of David”). Longinus runs around town, hiding inside houses and markets, climbing trees and lampposts, losing himself in the crowds of tourists just to escape the morions pursuing him.This festival culminates on Easter Sunday. These are reenactments of the torture and death of Jesus. 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. Around this time, provinces like Marinduque celebrate the Moriones Festival. 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. 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