Holy, Holy week

The traditions of Holy Week certainly vary from country to country. I've been fortunate to spend holy week in three foreign countries: Italy, Australia, and now, the Philippines. The Italians of course have the college text book Holy Week. Being one with the Vatican, what more could you expect? In Australia, which is known for their public holidays, they basically turn the whole week into a beer fest. I do not mean to be critical, but we hit the bars Easter Sunday, and the government had "Easter Monday" off. Easter Monday, seriously?

Well here in the Philippines, Holy Week is, well, holy. Manila comes to a standstill from Wednesday night until Easter Sunday. No business is done Maundy Thursday and is still limited on Good Friday. Even Manila's infamous traffic takes leave as most of the inhabitants head for the provinces to be with their families.

I wanted to soak in all that I could. So I made arrangements to attend mass at the Manila Cathedral which was conducted by the Archbishop of
Manila. The Mass if the Lord's Supper and footwashing was 100% in Tagalog, but thanks to the uniformity of Catholicism, I was able to follow along. The High Mass was more than well attended. After communion, the Archbishop had one announcnent which he made in English: two hours before the mass, Rome had called informing them that they have selected their nominee for a new Archbishop. The church went into a roar. It was an exciting moment. After mass, I managed to find a taxi, and
a trip that normally would take 39 minutes, took a mere 15.

The next day I awoke with the excitement if attending a real live crucifixion. It sort of made me excited but nervous in one breath. We headed off to Pampanga with a hope and a prayer to see some crucifyin'. Well, we got what we asked for (I'm sure all of you will see my pictures). I too even had a spot on the cross--nail-less of course. We got literal front row seats for the action. There really are now words for what I saw. It was true devotion, but a carnival rolled up into one. So for our last "cultural day," I was certainly not disappointed by what I saw. All in all, the Filipinos know how to do Holy Week with their own unique flare.