SUBSCRIBESemana Santa: Dressing the Santo Señor Sepulcro
Every month, the herederas (heirs of the Rañola patriarch) or their representatives (some have already migrated to other places and countries) gather at the ancestral house to dress the image. And every Friday the whole year round, devotees come and visit the imahen to pay homage and offer supplication. It is only during the Holy Week that this routine ritual is heightened. Upon the advice of Jayson, I came the Saturday before Palm Sunday, 8 April, to document the dressing of the image in time for the Semana Santa (Holy Week) preparations.
Experiencing this sort of ritual is intriguing and an eye opener and I really admired the care and devotion that these people did. Before this was done, I was thinking that while doing this, a prayer is said or a hymn is being sung but with the intricacy of changing the clothes under drapes, fastening it to the pedestal and completing the vestments, there’s really no time for a religious song, as what Jayson told me.
One important information about this image and the rest of the santons (saints) under the care of the families is that these imahens have under their name tracts of land or haciendas. Even bank accounts are registered under the image’s name. This was practiced since the upkeep and preparations of an image, especially for feasts and celebrations in which these are used for processions is just expensive! The family has to spend for the carroza (carriage) to bear the image. The flowers to decorate it, feed the people, usually farm hands (these are really prominent families in the town with vast tracts of lands) or devotees.
Left, the image was transferred to its new pedestal made of aluminum instead of the one made of wood which was already decaying and has to be discarded. Here the herederas and their representatives placed the image to have it ready for the change of vestments.
Right, whereas in other areas (as far as what I’ve read and seen in books), the Señor here is covered with a white cloth before the changing is done. In other areas, one can see the bare body except a piece of cloth covering the groin. I observed that generally, its the women who do this ritual while I spotted only two males assisting.
Left, after the new robe and belt is fixed, the white drape is removed. The image is fastened with two belts, one across the abdomen, the other at the portion just below the knees. This is done so that during the procession, where, really, devotees scramble to it, it will not get dislodged from its pedestal.
Right, a new drape, this time, part of the accoutrement, with laced edges, is placed on the image. The wig is then placed and the faux hair is spread. Jewelry is then placed and arranged.
Left, at the other end, the drape is sewn to fix it to the image so that, again, during transport, it will hold.
Right, the salungbaba or the golden piece of cloth that is tied around the head to hold the month from opening is affixed. Next, this some sort of jeweled headress is placed.
Left, now the golden antigo (antique) drape is retrieved from the room where it is kept and this is placed over the image.
Right, the silver book with jewels and a lamb on top biting a banner is afixed with wires and placed on the chest.
Left, the final touch is made and the wires afixing the silver book is then tied under the pedestal to hold it during transport.
Right, the imahen already dressed and ready for devotees and the Holy Week procession. By Wednesday night, this image is then transported to the home of the heredera, who is tasked to sponsor the year’s event. During that time, a pabasa is done and devotees start to flock and venerate the image.
Related posts:
Series 31: Semana Santa 06
Semana Santa 06: Santo Señor Sepulcro
Semana Santa 06: Domingo de Ramos, 1
Semana Santa 06: Domingo de Ramos, 2 and Pabasa
Semana Santa 06: Via Crucis
Semana Santa 06: Senakulo
Semana Santa 06: Flagellants
Semana Santa 06: Paete and Pakil processions
Semana Santa 06: Maundy Thursday
Semana Santa 06: Good Friday, 1
August 11th, 2008 at 8:02PM
victor, that’s really very informative. thank you for the clarification.
July 8th, 2008 at 1:33PM
I was quite impressed by the work you have been doing in photo-documenting this rather important aspect of our culture. May I just offer a number of clarifications. Among the so-called “owners” of santos, the word preferred is “sponsor”, the rough translation of the Tagalog; hindi nagmamay-ari ngunit nag-aalaga. In fact among conservative Tagalogs, one never buys (”bili”) the image of a santo but instead one contributes (”palimos”) to the santo-maker. Also it is true that the santo-sponsors owned “vast” tracts of land but perhaps in the past. Many no longer are that wealthy but the sponsorship of the santo (and the land or bank account that goes with it) is inherited and the reason for the land/bank account remains the same: for the maintenance and upkeep of the image. In case of a good harvest (or the modern corollary, a good return on the bank investment) any surplus from the expenses of maintenance are to be donated to the poor, either free food giveaways at the home of the sponsor or a monetary contribution to a charitable organization. The actual dressing up of the image, the arrangement of the carroza and its opearion are also inherited obligations. The original ones were the tenants, farmworkers and/or househelp of the sponsors which their descendants have inherited, even though they may already be established professionals and even better-off now than the sponsor’s family. For many old-timers, the sponsorship of the santo is more an indicator of the family’s old status in the town rather than current-day economic status. In some towns such as Baliuag, so many newly-wealthy townspeople have offerred to sponsor a santo so that by today their processions number up to about 76 carrozas. Some towns are more stingy and prefer to restrict the number of carrozas, like in Bacolor and in my home province of Camarines Norte. The newly-wealthy therefore tend to either marry the heirs of the old santo-sponsors or they offer to sponsor other events like the repair of the church, the twon fiesta procession, etc. I hope you keep up the excellent work. Cheers!