Rough Groove

Semana Santa 07

Holy Week or Semana Santa came early this year with Palm Sunday, ironically, falling on April Fool’s Day. NOthing pranky about it, however, but, just like last year, I was kept busy with my annual Lenten photodocumentary.

Holy Week is significant for Catholics worldwide as it celebrates, the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. Here in the Philippines considered the bastion of Catholicism in Asia, the more than three centuries of Spanish rule and the ritual obsession of Filipinos with death itself has produced unique rituals varying from one region to another that are amalgamations of Christian and pagan/animist practices, the mix of western and the oriental, seamlessly flowing together and thus become uniquely Pinoy. Unfortunately, as times progress, these practices are slowly altered, dying or are now dead as global influences as well as beliefs and mindsets change.

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The Jesuit House of 1730 in Cebu

An exciting find, Arnold Carl’s Heritage of Cebu site has photos of the current status of this Jesuit House in Pari-an, Cebu City, purported to be the oldest house in Cebu and in the country. I have read about this in Regalado Trota Jose’s book, Simbahan, and have thought that it was demolished together with the Parian Church during the colonial era due to, as some put it, jealousy by the Augustinians of Sto. Nino Church with its rising wealth and influence (Parian is usually related with the Chinese just like in colonial Manila, outside the walls of Intramuros).

Now this, and I should schedule a visit to this area when I return home next week in time for the elections.

Semana Santa 07: Three images

What kept me busy during the last Semana Santa or Holy Week?

Quezon: Decorated flagellants early morning don a beautiful headress made from leaves and flowers.

Makati City: Tucked in one of the premier city’s many barangays, an almost 80 year old Senakulo is still being performed. My Senakulo portfolio.

Paete, Laguna: The pre-hispanic Ritual of the Dead is performed on a centuries old Santo Intierro

Related posts:

Semana Santa 07: Senakulo Kristo

Semana Santa 07: Senakulo Kristo

I’ve just uploaded my Soundslide (demo use, yes, just registered it) Senakulo slideshow comprising 20 photos from a series of night shoot of a passion play in Evangelista St., Makati. Please click on the image to go to the webpage and click the PLAY button located at the bottom left corner. The slideshow is four minutes long with background senakulo sound recorded on the last day, 7 April with the typical tagulaylay rythm.

My Semana Santa posts will be started next week.

Related posts:

Semana Santa 07: Three Images

La Union, 5 - Balaoan

..continued from La Union, 4 - Luna

Just along the highway in the seeming busy town of Balaoan, is another imposing and beautiful church that is quite unlike the rest of the churches that I’ve visited in this trip or even in the rest of La Union that I’ve passed by, saw in books or visited:

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