HOLY Week is observed to commemorate the suffering and death of Jesus Christ through various observances and worship services. In Roman Catholic tradition, the conclusion to the week is called the Easter Triduum, which begins Thursday evening of Holy Week with the Eucharist and concludes with evening prayers on Easter Sunday. Palm Sunday (March 28 this year) signals the end of the 40-day Lenten season and the start of Holy Week. Traditionally, the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem is reenacted by the waving of palm branches and singing songs of celebration. It is customary to have a blessing of palm leaves before the mass.

The pabasa (reading) is a tradition that involves the 24-hour chanting of or singing the vernacular narrative of Jesus Christ’s life and death called the pasyon (passion). On Maundy Thursday (April 1), the faithful trek to sacred places or do the Visita Iglesia. On Good Friday (April 2), the sinakulo or passion play is presented.

Residents and volunteers participate to fulfill personal vows or give thanks; from morning to noon, flagellants in parts of Bulacan, Pampanga and Laguna perform penitensiya. Pasko ng Pagkabuhay or Easter (April 4) is the culmination of Holy Week. A theatrical play takes place at dawn, while images of the Risen Christ and the Blessed Mother Mary embark on separate processions then meet at a point in a Salubong (meeting) at the town church.

It is truly a unique experience to witness the Filipino’s remembrance of Holy Week, when religious fervor, theatrics and camaraderie blissfully collide.

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