Sun Apr 20 07:50:00 UTC 2025: **Philippine Towns Observe Holy Week with Traditional, and Controversial, Rituals**
KALAYAAN/PAETE, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines observed Holy Week with a range of traditions, from solemn processions to self-flagellation, highlighting the country’s deep-rooted Catholicism.
In the town of Kalayaan, Laguna province, dozens of penitents engaged in the controversial practice of self-flagellation on Good Friday. Using wooden whips, they beat their backs in a public display of atonement, a ritual viewed with disapproval by the Church. Participants, like 27-year-old Luis Bautista, explained their actions as a way to connect with the suffering of Christ and pray for their families. Nineteen-year veteran Jayve Lorenzo cited family issues and health concerns as his motivations. Local resident Baby Ragaza provided water and boiled eggs to the exhausted penitents, a gesture of compassion born from her faith and a tribute to her late husband. Following the ritual, penitents cleansed their wounds at a nearby waterfall.
Meanwhile, in the nearby town of Paete, known for its wood carvings, residents held a more traditional Holy Week observance. A Holy Wednesday evening procession featured life-size statues of Christ and saints, followed by a Maundy Thursday reenactment of the Passion of Christ in the town plaza. According to Rowell Ybanez, parish pastoral council moderator of Saint James the Apostle, these centuries-old traditions attract tourists and showcase the strong link between art and faith in Paete.
These events represent just a fraction of the diverse Holy Week practices across the Philippines, with some individuals even resorting to extreme acts, such as crucifixion reenactments, to express their faith.
First Piper 