4 Traditions That We Observe During Holy Week

     It’s Holy Week once more, one of the most revered weeks by majority of the Filipinos who are more than 80% Catholics. Holy Week commemorates the days leading to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, starting from Palm Sunday up to Easter Sunday. There are several traditional practices that Filipinos have inherited from Spain. Some of these that we observe are the ‘Visita Iglesia’, padasal (marathon prayers), procession and our family Black Saturday swimming.

Image: Life-size statues of Jesus.

               Visita Iglesia. ‘Visita Iglesia’ is also called Seven Churches Visitation. The general practice is to visit seven churches either on Holy Thursday or Good Friday and recite the Stations of the Cross. The pious would double the number of churches to fourteen, while the infirm and elderly usually visit only one or a handful. Until the 1970s, people recited all fourteen stations in one church (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Churches_Visitation). 

    

Station VIII - Jesus meets the pious women of Jerusalem:
The weeping women met you, With tears they mourn your pain,
May we, too, weep copiously, And never sin again.

     Leo (my husband) and I discovered Kamay ni Hesus, a shrine built by healing priest Fr. Joey Faller in Lucban, Quezon. We have made it a point to do our Stations of the Cross here because it entails sacrifice in climbing 310 steps to reach the summit where a 50-ft tall statue of Jesus Christ is constructed.The 14 Stations of the Cross are depicted by life-size replicas of what happened to Jesus from the 1^st to the 14^th station.

Leo with the breath-taking view of Lucban, Quezon (Background)
on top of Kamay ni Hesus stations of the cross.

     Aside from the sacrifice, you will be rewarded with a breath-taking view of Lucban, Quezon (above). We found out that it was more solemn to pray if it were not Holy Week, where people were not too many.

L (standing): Sonny; L_R (Sitting) Mey, Jo Ann, adventurousPinay.

     Padasal. Jo Ann, my best buddy, invites us on Holy Fridays to their annual ‘padasal’ (marathon prayer) as thanksgiving for all the blessings and also, as prayers for the dead. Last year, two other high school classmates were able to make it to the padasal, Mey and Sonny. This occasion always serves for us to renew our friendship, specially, for those who are not always in the country like Sonny, a ship captain.

Food is meat-less and confined to sea foods and vegetables.

     Any Philippine holiday would not be complete without a feast. As is the custom during Holy Week, no meat is allowed, except sea foods. We love sea foods, so no complaints here.

First in line of Saints during the Aglipayan church procession, Santa Cruz, Laguna.

     Procession.  Catholics and Aglipayans are very much alike in their celebration of the Holy Week. On Good Friday, a grand procession (above) is held as a religious fervor where devotees grandly adorn their floats and dress-up their wooden or resin images of saints.

Floats are colorful and richly decorated. 

     I remember as a child, together with my sister and cousins that we dressed up and joined the procession on Good Fridays. As an adult, I simply watch the procession and not walk around town anymore. 

Family tradition of swimming every Black Saturday.

               Swimming. This is not necessarily a Catholic tradition, but my mother’s side of the family always goes swimming on Black Saturday. We progressed from swimming in Balanac River in Pagsanjan, to the hot springs in Los Baños, and later in the hot springs in Pansol, Calamba. We rent private pools and my sister has been strict that the pools should have a roof so that they wouldn’t get tan lines. Of course, food is prepared and shared by the family.

If there's a feast, there is food. 

     Tradition dictated that Holy Week should be solemn and quiet. But times have been changing. Because this is usually a long holiday weekend, this has become the time for family reunions and get-togethers among friends. We cannot be quiet during times like those. Merry-making is always involved and foods are always served. What is important is to remember Jesus’s sacrifices and observe other relevant traditions and practices. 

My First Snow at the Summit of Pillar Mountain, Kodiak, Alaska; Where was yours?

     

     Trina, my daughter, who was based in Kodiak, Alaska, brought me to Pillar Mountain after seeing Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park. Pillar Mountain is one of 95 mountains with summits and peaks. The mountain stands at 1,204 feet or 366.98 meters above sea level, the largest in Kodiak. Pillar Mountain is an unforgettable adventure for me because of the spectacular view, the snow, the super freezing wind, and the wind mills on the summit. Above is one of the snow-capped peaks found on the way to Pillar Mountain.

     Born-and-raised in tropical Philippines, imagine my delight in seeing my first snow on Pillar Mountain (above). Trina had to take the picture for posterity.

     Seeing is believing. But touching snow makes it doubly believable (above). Remember I was there in summer, but I was surely glad that there was snow even then.

     Maybe, the temperature allowed for snow to melt, this is why water falls (above) are a common sight.

Trina (L) and me (R) with the windmills (background).

     Pillar Mountain plays a very important role in the energy requirement of Kodiak because of its wind farm. The Pillar Mountain Wind Farm has three GE 1.5-MW turbines that provide renewable energy to the town’s residents. Before this was developed, the island relied on expensive hydroelectric plants (80% supply) and seven diesel-powered generators (20% supply) to provide power to the town. Every year, it produces 12.2 million kWh for 12 cents/kWh (http://www.cityprofile.com/alaska/pillar-mountain.html).

     The summit of Pillar Mountain provides a breathtaking view of Kodiak Island (above: Trina (L) and me (R) with Kodiak Island in the background).  Notice the strong wind blowing our hair, which makes it ideal in operating the pioneering utility-scale wind energy project.

      It was so cold on top of Pillar Mountain on this summer day. Trina was just trying to look unaffected, but it’s really chilling for my ‘tropicalized’ body (above). It was about 5°-6 °C that time, where 24° C was the comfortable air-conditioned temperature of any ordinary room in the Philippines. I had to wear a bonnet to protect my already freezing head.

Photo image: Pillar Mountain, Kodiak, Alaska.

     Pillar Mountain summit is ideal for climbing. Today, many tourists prefer to hike to the misty summit and experience the mountain breeze. Another breathtaking view on top of Pillar Mountain (above) shows this spectacular natural scenery, i.e.,snow-capped  mountain and the clouds that are almost near one's reach. On the way below are more breathtaking views of the snowy mountain and the still unpaved twisting road.

Photo image: Windmills, Pillar Mountain, Kodiak, Alaska.

     Pillar Mountain is one of the treasures of Kodiak, Alaska. A visit to this summit is recommended for a spectacular view of Kodiak Island and the scenery surrounding it. Moreover, Pillar Mountain has the wind mills that are a must-see because this is a pioneering project in Kodiak. Lastly, this is an unforgettable spot for me because this is where I had my first encounter with snow. Nothing could be more amazing!!!

Photo: Windmills on top of Pillar Mountain (background) where we, Trina (L) and me (R), just came from.