SUBSCRIBESemana Santa 06: Black Saturday and Easter Sunday
Black Saturday and Lucban was just like another ordinary day that I went to Tayabas to do some church photography there, after, of course, taking photos of the church in Lucban. After visiting the three churches (1 major, two minor but more of a chapel or visita) and the old Catholic cemetery where I just found one of the beautiful camposanto chapels in the archipelago (rivals the ruins in Lucban).
Left, I passed by St. Michael Basilica and saw people already preparing the platform for the Easter Sunday procession that will follow the Black Saturday night mass. It was just a simple structure located infront of the convento decorated with prepared coconut fronds, much like those used during the domingo de ramos. A boy and some girls were also practicing for the midnight procession, singing the salve regina.
Right, back in Lucban, I immediately went to the site where the traditional salubong will be held. It was just infront of the mayor’s house who also owns the image of the Virgin.
Left, 2100H and the townspeople, were already gathered around the church plaza for the blessing of fire. In the middle a bonfire was lit. the priest came, and the ritual, including the lighting of the paschal candle started. Right, after the blessing, the faithful then proceeded to the church. When the mass started (its quite a long mass that took 3 hours to finish!) all the lights were put off. Then one by one, the light from the paschal candle was shared, lighting all the candles that the churchgoers held. Its really just beautiful as the whole church had a yellow-reddish glow emanating from hundreds of candles lit.
Two of the images, the mater dolorosa, left, and the risen Christ, right, is paraded around the town’s streets for the easter procession. I’ve read that what is held is the apocryphal meeting of the grieving virgin where angels took the black veil for her to rejoice and meet her risen son. In previous years, I was told, and I think is still done in some areas, a procession of the mater dolorosa image is done during Black Saturday night just before the salubong. Both images starts together at the Lucban church but follows different route and meets at the mayor’s residence where the salubong will be held.
Left, the actual salubong (meet) wherein the girls clad as angels sang the salve regina while tossing flowers and one then takes the black veil off the image. After the meeting, the two carrozas are then brought to the church. I’ve observed that in Lucban and Tayabas, and probably in the surrounding areas or even in the greater part of Luzon, the procession is held just after the Black Saturday mass that usually timed to end at midnight. In my hometown, the sugat, the Cebuano term for the salubong is done early dawn, usually around 0400H. In Minglanilla, a southern town in Cebu adjacent to Talisay City, it is famed for this event as lots of angels are hoisted up an arch and hang above the carroza while one then descends to the mater dolorosa image to get the veil.
Right, the image of the Santo Senor Sepulcro, now dressed in another set of clothes (done early Saturday morning) now lie in its glass casing inside the Ranola house.
Just right after the procession and you can already see that young people are already gathered in different portions of the streets of the town and ready to toss that water bomb! It has been a tradition in Lucban that after the salubong, people throw water at each other. This was so since in the olden times, the old people forbid the Lucbanons to take a bath by noon of Good Friday until Easter Sunday. I was told that they scare children that they will turn to stone if they do take a bath. So during the procession, just before the actual carrozas arrive, it was not surprising to see some people holding umbrellas and an impassioned plea from a woman holding the microphone, asked the people not to start throwing water while the procession is still ongoing. In other parts of the town, tossing water already started.
The whole day Sunday and Lucban comes alive. Every street is just wet and strewn plastic litter the streets. In the neighborhoods, people are tossing pails of water to passersby, directing water guns and some men gather around wooden tables to drink and just have fun. Fortunate for me that when I took to the streets, I was spared but not after downing three glasses of beer offered to me 
By 0900H I was already on my way back to Makati.
Related posts:
Series 31: Semana Santa 06
Semana Santa 06: Santo Señor Sepulcro
Semana Santa 06: Dressing the 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
Semana Santa 06: Good Friday, 2 – procession preparations
Semana Santa 06: Good Friday, 3 – the procession
Semana Santa 06: Good Friday, 4 – Procession of the Senor
May 16th, 2006 at 1:34PM
Sidney, I think its a combination. Some towns follow tradition while in some towns, like in Lucban, the parish priest have a say. If the townspeople doesn’t agree, they can always raise it with the bishop
May 16th, 2006 at 12:35PM
In Boac (Marinduque) they also do it on Easter Sunday at 4 am. A little angel comes down from a bamboo structure and removes the black veil of the Virgin Maria.
But once the salubong ends everybody go home. No more fiesta !
In other towns like Torrijos (Marinduque) they do it at 9pm on Black Saturday.
I don’t know if it is dictated by custom or by the Parish priest.