Celebrating LENT ; the traditional way

March 31-April 04, 2010

Binangonan, Rizal, Philippines



For the past 24 years of my life, I've never experienced to celebrate the lent in a very traditional way. Although I came from a very religious family but I've never been to a "sinakulo"( the commemoration of Christ passion before his death). That's when I received an invitation from my boyfriend's mom, I didn't think twice, knowing that Binangonan is one of the religious place in the Philippines who got preserved their traditions.

Day 1 : Holy Wednesday

It was Holy Wednesday when I arrived at my boyfriends house in Binangonan Nanay Lita (my boyfriend's mom) told us to have our dinner early for we are going to the "Bayan" (town) to watch the " Sinakulo" ( a stage play performed by the locals in commemorating the life of Jesus and other biblical stories). It was already 9pm when we arrive at the place for the "Sinakulo". I saw a lot of people, it was like a Fiesta. Street foods are everywhere, people patiently waiting the actors to perform, some are just happy enough gambling at the side. The show started. I was amazed to know that the actors are not only going to act their part in the script but to sang it all as what the "Miss Saigon" cast usually did it. It was just watching a stage play but in a traditional and simple way, where there are no seats available for the audiences, where the lighting effect were just a big spot light covered with water cellophane in different colors, where all the backgrounds in every scenes were just a hand painted cloth and a stage just made of woods and bamboo. It was fantastic, It was like being in an era where the Sarzuela (stage play) was first played during the Spanish Era. The play ended by around 3am. Nanay Lita asked me if I enjoyed the show, and told me that there were more of that in the succeeding days.


Day 2: Maundy Thursday

My boyfriend and I went to his Auntie's house for a lunch, since their house is just a short distance form the plaza and the town's church, we waited there before the "Parada ng mga Santo" (procession of saints' life size images) started.It was four in the afternoon when the life size images of the different Saints and Christ Images ( owned by some residents of Binangonan and nearby towns ) arrived at the Santa Ursula Parish Church.

Dressed in their most elegant wardrobe, the Saints went on a procession. With the lighted candles, my boyfriend and I chooses to follow the miraculous image of "Black Nazarene". Prayers were recited by the elders. The procession lasted for two hours that I could feel my toes swollen, but it was fun and I just told my self that It was my share of experiencing the 1% of passion that Christ experienced before He died for us. Again it was a tiring but fruitful and meaningful day for me. "More to come" as what Nanay Lita was always told me before going to bed. :-)


Day 3: Good Friday

It was four in the afternoon when my boyfriend and I went to the "Kalbaryo" (calvary) so called by the local folks. It's a hill with the huge cross on top of it. It's a 118 steps climbing the tip of this hill, not so tiring compare to the two hundred and plus steps of the Our Lady of Lourdes grotto in Baguio City. After getting there, we just said a little prayer before going back to the church for the "Santo Intiero" or the holy burial of the dead Son of God.

We missed the start of burial procession, that Nanay Lita scolded us both for being late. We just decided to wait in one of the streets of the town with my boyfriend's cousins for the procession to pass by.Nanay Lita refreshed her memory by telling us the story of the miraculous image of the Dead Christ while we waited for almost three hours for the parade to pass by. It was almost midnight and I was sleepy, but we haven't seen any lighted candles nor music coming from the "rondalias" (band). Nanay Lita added that it would be hard for the procession to end early because of the huge numbers of devotees who wants to touch the image of the dead Christ. Then I remembered the last time I was in Quiapo for the Fest of Black Nazarene, where an ocean-like of people went on the procession and have their face towels and hanckies wiped on the image.

It was one in the morning when I heard people around us yelling. Finally the "Santo Intiero" was heading our way. I saw people in sweat, that you could smell them in a distance. It was really like I was in Quiapo months ago, that I decided to get in the ocean-like group of people just to have my hancky be wipe on the image. I was determined to do the same, getting my chances to get on the huge number of people but Nanay Lita scolded me, for I might got hurt by joining them. Then I just got my camera ready instead, to capture memories from that event. I saw the dead Christ in His glass carriage-like coffin followed by the life size Saints, but this time in their black but elegant mourning clothes. Again I was so amazed to see those life size saints as if they were really in a burial procession following the dead Christ.

The procession ended by a prayer before returning the image of the dead Christ back to the Church.


Day 4&5 : Black Saturday and Easter Sunday

It was seven in the evening when the vigil was held in the church. Nanay Lita said that It was a tradition not to open the church lights until Christ is risen. The light coming from the candles was just the light we can see inside the church. The vigil went on while the other was busy preparing for the "Salubong" (and Easter celebration or the re-enactment of the meeting of the Virgin mother with His beloved son, the Risen Christ that usually took place before the dawn). After the vigil mass, people already gathered at the place for the "salubong". I already witnessed this celebration many times, for this was the highlights of the LENT all over the country, the resurrection of the Son Of God. It was five in the morning, angels (hanged) started to sing. (That time my boyfriend and I did not join the procession, because he wanted to get a space in the area where the "salubong" took place and for me to get the best angle to shoot my camera.) I could see the image of the Risen Christ on my left accompanied by men and the image of the Virgin Mother on my right accompanied by the women. The angels sings "alleluah" while the angels started getting off the black veil of the Virgin Mother, to proclaim that mourning is over. Fireworks broke the silence and lighted the sky. The Easter mass followed. Then one of their Easter highlight was the "waswas". I had hard time searching the origin of this tradition /ritual? I tried asking the locals as well as Nanay Lita, but she can't determined how it was started because it was already a tradition before she was born. Then the "waswas" was performed by a man and a woman (selected by the locals, face factor is a must in selection, honestly speaking). From there, I was enlightened, the term "waswas" is the short term for a Tagalog or Filipino word which is "wasiwas" or swinging. The performer have to hold a banner like thing that they have to be swing, synchronized with the beat of the music. And i guess this were related to the explanation i found in the web, the "pandanggo sa wasiwas'' one of the traditional or folk dance in the Philippines that originated in Lingayen -celebrated by the fishermen by drinking wine and by dancing, swinging and circling a lighted lamp. Hence, the name "oasiwas" which in Pangasinan dialect means "swinging".

After the "waswas" the procession of the risen Christ followed, another of hour of two and a half of walk again with the locals reciting prayers. Another tradition I was able to observed was those people who where after for the flowers adorned in the carriages of the images of the life size saints. I asked my boyfriend what was going on that time, because I saw people started raising there hands as if they where craving for something. Then the man who owned the carriage started throwing the flowers. My boyfriend explained that it was still part of the tradition, the flowers the person may get from the carriage will be kept, for it was believed to heal illnesses and it also believed to be an amulet? charms? of the person who has this flowers. The procession ended and around nine in the morning I was happy as I went home, for I know that I celebrated my holy week in a traditional and fruitful way, as what I had dreamed off the past 24 years. It was fulfilled. A bunch of thanks to my boyfriend and his mom, Nanay Lita, for all the care and hospitality you've shown to me when I was there. I'll definitely coming next holy week. Thank you so much for the wonderful experience.