Lent

• Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are regular national holidays in the Philippines. The observance of holy week traditions in the Philippines is a powerful expression of Filipinos’ religion and passion for religious practices.-Many holy week traditions in the Philippines are observed, particularly in the province and, in particular, in Pampanga.
• Palm Sunday

  -called Passion Sunday, is the final Sunday of Lent and the start of the Holy Week.

  -It is the day when the faithful remember and celebrate the triumphant arrival of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem as Savior and King.

  -Usually, palm leaves are sold outside the church, vendors would chase you and sell their palm leaves making sure you have one before entering the church.
• Palm sunday

  -During the Holy Mass, together with other churchgoers, they raise their palaspas or palm leaves into the air as the priest blesses them with holy water.

  -People take their palaspas home after the service and pin or attach them to their doors or windows, or they set them on the altar. It is thought that blessed palm leaves remove negativity and bring good fortune into a home. Filipinos retain the palaspas pinned to the door or window for a year as a ritual.
• Pasyon / Pabasa

  -It is a poem or religious writings that tell the story of Jesus Christ’s passion and death.

  -During Holy Week, the faithful assembles in the homes of those who host the Pasyon to partake in the book’s sing-song reading. For some, this begins on Palm Sunday afternoon and continues persistently (24 hours a day) until the book is done.
• Pasyon / Pabasa

  -Pabasa can be sung or played using a variety of musical instruments. Some of the younger age would join the pabasa and compose music to accompany the reading of holy texts. Pabasa is extensively practiced in several parts of Luzon and Visayas.

  -Food will be plentiful during a Pabasa, as it is at any other Pinoy event. Steaming bowls of lelut (lugaw or rice porridge with hard-boiled egg) and a never-ending supply of coffee will keep you up and energized while you belt it out on the microphone.
• On Holy Friday, people gather in San Fernando’s Barrio Cutud to witness men willingly nailed to the cross in a reenactment of Jesus’ execution
• Penitensya

  -Pampanga becomes unusually renowned for penitents who walks in the streets or carry a wooden cross as a form of repentance for their sins. Thousands of visitors, both international and domestic, visit Pampanga to see this long-standing Filipino tradition.

  -Many of these Lenten penitents may be seen in Magalang, Pampanga, in the town of San Agustin. This practice includes reenacting Jesus’ agony by being nailed to the crucifixion.
• Penitensya

  -Penitensya begins on Maundy Thursday in Pampanga, with penitents covering their faces and lashing on the self-inflicted wounds on their backs with a set of bamboo sticks linked together and attached to a rope.

  -On Holy Friday, people flock to San Fernando’s Barrio Cutud to see men willingly nailed to the cross in a reenactment of Jesus’ execution.
• Senakulo

  -Senakulo was derived from the Spanish word cenáculo which means the “place where Jesus Christ celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples.”

  -A play depicting the life and passion of Jesus Christ. Done during several nights on Holy Week is senakulo, or Passion Play, a stage or street play about the life of Jesus leading to his death.

  -The play takes place in many communities and is usually organized by local governments with sponsors and volunteers. The bloodiest reenactment and the most popular is the senakulo in San Pedro Catud, San Fernando, Pampanga.
• Visita Iglesia

  -a tradition that takes place on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, during which one visits at least seven different churches, ideally with his or her family.

  -The goal of Visita Iglesia is to pay respect to the Blessed Sacrament and to seek atonement for one’s sins.

  -It is thought that if a person can visit seven different churches, his or her request would be realized.

  -Stations of the Cross are often observed during church visits. Some churchgoers would pray at two stations for each church, or they would visit 14 churches to fulfill the 14 stations.
• Lent

  •Commemoration of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection

  •40-day season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving

  •Lent is a journey towards the glory of God

  •Lent = springtime = begin/renew
• •“kuwaresma” = quadragesima

  •traditional number in the bible

  ⚬Moses stayed in Egypt for 40 yrs⚬Israelites were in the desert for 40 yrs

  ⚬Noah’s ark 40 days of rain

  ⚬Moses was on Mt. Sinai for 40 days

  ⚬Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days
• •Fasting - one meal a day, and two smaller meals which if added together would not exceed one full meal

  •Abstinence - refraining from eating meat