It’s that time of the year…when I
say that I don’t mean Christmas, I am talking about the well-known religious
“Lenten season”. Lenten season is the 40-day season wherein Filipino people
recall Christ’s passion, his suffering, death, and resurrection. It is referred
as “Mahal na Araw” or “Semana Santa” in the Philippines. It starts from Palm
Sunday, followed by Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, Holy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday,
Good Friday and concludes on Black Saturday and then Easter Sunday.
In the Philippines, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are recognized national holidays. From Holy Monday to Holy Wednesday, the holy week continues; yet those days are normal workdays. Furthermore, numerous provinces in the Philippines have a range of old practices that have been passed down from generation to generation. These traditions are still practiced in today’s present world.
A lot of traditions are being done during the Lenten Season. The following are examples of these traditions:
The Lenten season begins on Ash
Wednesday, when ashes fashioned from palm branches from the previous year's
Palm Sunday are blessed and placed on the devotee's forehead in the shape of a
cross while the priest or nun says, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust
you shall return.”
During
Lenten Season, some people opt to practice penitence, which involves fasting
and abstinence. Most people who observe this do so from Ash Wednesday to Good
Friday, eating only one full meal per day. Abstinence, on the other hand, is
the practice of not eating meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all Lent
Fridays.
Another
tradition people do during this season is something called “Visita Iglesia”.
This is the custom of going to seven different churches and reciting either the
Stations of the Cross or reciting just any prayer.
“Pabasa ng Pasyon” or just “Pabasa” is the reciting
of Jesus Christ's life suffering. A group of individuals takes turns chanting
sections of the Pasyon book's poems. Pabasa is performed 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week from Maundy Thursday until Good Friday.
And the last example of a tradition during the Lenten Season, which I personally didn’t know was being done, is the “Senakulo or cenacle”. It is a traditional passion drama depicting Jesus Christ's suffering and death. It is typically performed on the street during Holy Week. The actors wore outfits that resembled Roman soldiers, complete with body armor. This tradition is carried out in regions like as Marinduque. The Senakulo in Marinduque is one of the most popular in the country, with actors wearing hand-carved wood or paper-mache masks topped with a helmet covered with multi-hued paper flowers and dressed in morion costume.
To conclude, country's celebrations
differ from place to region, ranging from weird to exuberant to solemn. This
season is a very awaited time for catholic people. We should remain respectful
of the Lenten season since it serves as a memory of the Lord’s salvation. We
should also be thankful to the Lord for giving us life and always remember that
he is and will be there with us through our journey called life.
https://www.aethelmark.com/blog/e/e3/
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