FAR from the very purpose of the observance of a sacred tradition, Holy Week in the Philippines has transformed into a peak season for tourism for which private resorts, beaches, campsites and other “summer refuge” have attracted more city folks.
No less than the Department of Tourism (DOT) hinted at more than 30 million domestic and international travelers during the Holy Week break as tourists head to popular destinations across the country.
According to Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, the volume of tourist arrivals in various parts of the country compelled the agency to activate its regional operations centers to coordinate and monitor high-traffic tourism areas to ensure proper coordination and oversight of the tourism destinations if only to ensure a smooth flow of tourists and manage peak volumes.
Interestingly, the number of tourists flocking the country’s tourist attractions represents roughly 38 percent of the total number of Filipino Catholics.
PURELY INCIDENTAL
Catholicism dates back to the 16th century when Spanish explorers on a search for exotic spices set their foot in what is now referred to as the Eastern Visayas.
Interestingly, the Spaniards did not only find what was then the most expensive spices but also found a colony to annex its global domination.
It was also then that friars introduced the Catholic faith which later on became the state religion during the colonial period. Even after they left, Catholicism remains a significant influence in the Filipino society notwithstanding the country’s secular constitution.
As per data collated from various web sources, Catholicism is the dominant religion in the Philippines, with about 78.8% of the population identifying as Roman Catholic.
OUR WAY OF LIFE
The Philippines has adopted Catholicism as a way of life, and remains as such despite some misconceptions relegating Holy Week as a long vacation.
For one, the observance of the Holy Week tops the long list of traditions passed on from one generation to another and one of the most prominent ways of commemorating the chronological events leading up to Jesus’ death by crucifixion until resurrection as foretold in the Holy Bible.
And speaking of the Holy Week, the first thing that comes to the mind of believers is the need for a little sacrifice, which many Catholics do in many forms – Fasting, Abstention, Visita Iglesia, Pabasa, Cenaculo among many other ways.
The week-long observance starts on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Sunday. The highlight of the Holy Week observance is Good Friday as it commemorates Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross, translating to a day of sorrow, penance, and fasting.
THE GOOD FRIDAY
Good Friday is deemed as the most solemn as streets fall silent, so as the airwaves (except for the Netflix and other pay per view channels) which adopt a radical shift in programming – from the usual entertaining segments to liturgical productions.
Most businessmen are imposing a halt in operations for a day or two. In many towns, the only sounds are the tolling of church bells and the slow, deliberate rhythm of processions winding through narrow streets.
Key rites include the Siete Palabras or meditations on Christ’s seven last words, and the Veneration of the Cross. In the provinces, however, Good Friday takes on a dramatic dimension.
In San Fernando, Pampanga, flagellants lash their backs in penance, while some volunteer for full crucifixion reenactments.
Despite official disapproval from the Catholic Church, these acts continue to draw crowds and provoke both admiration and discomfort.
BLACK SATURDAY
A day after Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, the nation commemorates mourning, referred to as the Black Saturday. Marked by absence, this is the day when altars are stripped, bells are silent, and there is no celebration of Mass until the evening.
To the Catholic faithfuls, Black Saturday is an ideal time for quiet contemplation or household chores—part tradition, part superstition.
It is also the night of the Easter Vigil, when churches darken and then slowly come alive again with candlelight and the announcement everyone’s been waiting for — the resurrection of Jesus Christ, or Easter Sunday.
EASTER SUNDAY
At the break of dawn, many communities are staging the theatrical Salubong, a symbolic meeting between the risen Christ and His mother, Mary, with children (dressed as angels) being hoisted on harnesses to lift a black veil of mourning from the statue of the Virgin Mary, marking the transition from grief to joy.
Often accompanied by choral singing, brass bands, and flower petals cascading from balconies, Salubong radically shifts the mood with the ringing of church bells, reopening of the market, feasting and other forms of celebrations.
To non-Catholic believers, the rise of modern distractions and the shifting priorities of a fast-paced world has significantly decimated the observance of Holy Week in the Philippines.
On the contrary, Holy Week in the Philippines remains the biggest Catholic event.
And to quote a priest in Baras, Rizal — “Holy Week is more significant than Christmas… it marks the start of a new life after introspection.”