Being a Catholic nation, Holy Week Philippine traditions unfold across the country as the Catholic faithful mark this most auspicious week of the year centered around the simbahan, or church. As a photographer, I have been documenting these religious practices of faith and piety in several places in Cebu, Bohol, Laguna, Quezon and Metro Manila for over two decades. The images in this photo essay are just a selection of the work I have done over the years.
Holy Week Philippine traditions in images
Palm Sunday (Lucban Quezon)
I documented the Holy Week activities in Lucban, Quezon in 2006 from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. What I like about the Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday) there is that there’s actually a carozza of the Christ riding on a donkey. The priest blesses the palms infront of the church and walks to the church following the carroza. Women lay down cloth on the priest’s path.
Palm Sunday (Paete, Laguna)
Unlike in Lucban, Palm Sunday in Paete, Laguna has no carroza but just the priest. However, He starts at the town center and proceeds to the church. Women lay down cloth for him to walk while a group of girls in white leads the procession, strewing flowers on the path.
Senakulo (Makati City)
One of the most popular holy week Philippine traditions especially in Tagalog speaking provinces and cities is the Senakulo. I used to live in Barangay Pio del Pilar and it has one of the longest running passion plays in Metro Manila. I documented this when a friend, who was researching and participanting told me about it. This Senakulo happens in the streets of Pio del Pilar, Bangkal and Evangelista, rotating annually.
Lenten Procession (Majayjay, Laguna)
The first of the Lenten processions start early during Holy Tuesday or Holy Wednesday across the country. Age old and new images of Christ’s Passion are removed from storage and prepared. From simple carrozas to elaborate ones to decorated vehicles, the procession goes around town.
Holy Wednesday (Paete, Laguna)
This perhaps is one of the most interesting syncretic Holy Week Philippine traditions that in the Philippines. On Palm Sunday, the image of the Santo Sepulcro is removed from its niche at the church and transported to the camarero’s house where it will lie in state till Good Friday. On Holy Wednesday, a bizarre ritual unfolds. The fully jointed images is transferred from its platform and is seated. It is then undressed and daubed with aromatic oils. Once completed, a kubol is constructed then covered with blankets and then smoked. Devotees sit around it with their legs inside. They believe that this will bless them and relieve them of their ailments. The practice is similar to the mummification practices of Cordillera tribes. After this, the image is clothed and returned to its platform where devotees pay homage.
Pabasa (San Nicolas, Manila)
The Pabasa is another iconic holy week Philippine tradition that involves the reading of Christ’s passion or the Pasyon. It can be a very solemn affair or a more energetic rendition accompanied with modern tunes like in Lucban. The Pabasa can stretch for days, uninterrupted or a marathon chant from Holy Wednesday to Good Friday.
Via Crucis & Visita Iglesia (Sibonga, Cebu)
Maunday Thursday gets Catholic Filipinos moving. The traditional Visita Iglesia is another Holy Week Philippine traditions that aims to visit 7 or 14 churches. Here, they perform the Via Crucis, or the Way of the Cross. If you go to seven churches, you do two stations, if 14, one station each. For those who just want to visit one church, all 14 stations are done there. It’s popular with families. In Camiguin, people go up Vulcan Daan where there are life sized stations of the cross.
Flagellant penitents (Infanta, Quezon)
Compared to the flagellants in most of Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon, the flagellants of Infanta, Quezon has the most flamboyant outfit. A penitent wears a skirt made from dried banana leaves and a floral headdress walking the streets of the town. Traditionally, the headress is then buried in the field for abundant harvest for the year. This was my thesis for my Diploma in Photojournalism course at the Asian Center for Journalism (ACFJ) at the Ateneo de Manila University.
Flagellants (Angeles, Pampanga)
Traditional flagellant penitents wearing denims, topless and head covered with a cloth. Their bodies bloodied and bruised. It can be very gory. Blood splattered as they flagellate themselves in the streets. Some are carrying wooden crosses too.
Faith Healer (Quiapo, Manila)
In Plaza Miranda, just infront of the Quiapo Basilica on Good Friday, this faith healer has his own following where he does his own rituals. He’s one of several faith healers in the area but his the most visible. He died years ago.
Faith healer (Anda, Bohol)
In the provinces, Good Friday is the time for many faith healers and herbalists to head to sacred mountains and caves to gather items for their practices. It is also the time to sort of ‘recharge’ their powers. I was in Anda, Bohol a few years ago and photographed this mananambal, a local healer doing his ritual inside a cave near the sea.
Crucifixions (Angeles, Pampanga)
Pampanga has crucifixions in San Pedro Cutud in San Fernando with actual nails driven to the palms and feet. It’s also a big draw for tourists and media. Not to be outdone, Angeles had its own. Three crosses are put up on a small mound and three penitents representing Christ and the two robbers are nailed. After a few minutes, the nails are removed and they are rushed to a waiting ambulance.
Paete, Laguna: Boy in Roman soldier costume that accompanies some flagellants or penitents
La Muerta (Argao, Cebu)
The lenten pasos is one of the Holy Week Philippine traditions as well as in all of Catholicism worldwide. One of the most unique processional images in the Philippines is the La Muerte of Argao, Cebu. In the country, there are only a few that has this but what sets this apart is that it is made of ivory. This was part of a set of less than life sized images for the Holy Week that were ordered during the Spanish colonial period. Note that the La Muerte is not similar to the cult of the Santa Muerte in Mexico. In the Good Friday procession, it’s the first carroza and is used as a memento mori to remind the people of their mortality.
Good Friday procession (Carcar, Cebu)
The Santo Intierro’s carroza, locally called Haya, meaning lying in state, in Cebuano, is the grandest processional carroza of the Carcar Good Friday procession in Cebu. The carroza is massive and high, filled with flowers, lights and angels. Under the canopy is the antique image of the dead Christ, a wooden image under the care of the owners of the Balay nga Tisa built in 1859.
Good Friday (Anda, Bohol)
A common activity in Catholic churches is venerating the image of either the crucified Christ or, after the Good Friday procession, the Christ lying in state. In Anda, Bohol, Catholics form a long line inside the church to kiss the image.
Resurrection Sunday (Lucban, Quezon)
On Resurrection Sunday, the Salubong or Sugat in Cebuano speaking provinces, is the final lenten activity. This is a reenactment where the veil of the processional image of the Mater Dolorosa in black is lifted as she meets the resurrected Christ. In some parts of the country, it happens after midnight while in other parts, like in my province of Cebu, happens at dawn. In Lucban, these two images meet at the front of a designated house in the town then proceeds back to the church.
