Penitensya 2012: A Holy Week Ritual

Ever since I met my wife, all of my Holy Week vacations are spent in Pangil, Laguna. Aside from the Good Friday procession, one of the highlights would be watching men performing "penitensya" as part of their "panata" or "religious vow" which they promised to keep in exchange for an answered prayer, like healing from sickness of a loved one, passing the board exam, getting the dream job, etc.

What's ironic though is that although my wife wants to stay in Pangil during the Holy Week, she is still afraid of the penitensya (or what the locals call the people performing the ritual), a fear she had when she was still young. She said she isn't afraid of the flagellants (person performing penitensya or self-infliction of wound by whipping), but rather of being hit by blood splatter or because of the odor of fresh blood.

When I was young, I remember seeing these penitensya in Malibay, Pasay. But I doubt that there are still men practicing that ritual there. I guess most of these are now only being practiced in a few parts of the city but mostly in the provinces.

Pabasa ng Pasyon 2012

Ever since my mother's aunt passed away several years ago, the practice of holding the Pabasa ng Pasyon, or Pabasa for short, during holy week has been continued by my mother.

The Pabasa which is held at home starts at midnight of Holy Monday and usually ends at around 3 PM the following day, Holy Tuesday. People take turn reading the Pasyon ensuring that there is no interruption.

According to Wikipilipinas, the Pabasa is a "verse narrative about the life and suffering of Jesus Christ. The verses are structured in five-line stanzas, with each line containing eight syllables. It is commonly sung during the Holy Week. The reading of the Pasyon is a traditional religious practice in the Philippines and people gather around the reader of the Pasyon to listen and reflect. It is seen by many of its practitioners as a vow or panata."