This is the start of the new series specifically taken during this year’s Semana Santa or Holy Week focusing on four major activities within Quezon, Laguna and Makati City:

Palm Sunday (Paete, Laguna)

• commemorates Jesus entrance to Jerusalem
• starts at the old visita or chapel and winds its way down with a procession to the colonial era stone church
• townspeople with decorated palm fronds for the priest to bless and women with tapis who covers the path of the priest with cloth for the priest to walk on

Penitent-flagellants (Infant, Quezon)

• while flagellation as atonement is practiced in many areas of Central Luzon, the one in Infanta is unique with its costume of dried banana leaves and a floral hood
• part Catholic part fertility rite

Bathing of the Poon (Paete, Laguna)

• another unique ritual that can only be found in this lakeshore town
• supports the theory that Cordillera/Ifugao rites of the dead/smoking was also practiced in other places, prehispanic times

Senakulo (Cenacle) (Makati City)

• amidst the high tower rises of modern Makati City, the almost 80 year old passion play is still being performed in Evangelista St.

This annual photodocumentary is now on its third year.

Related posts

• Young girl with palm
• 3rd Angkor Photo Festival
• Semana Santa slideshow at pinoycentric.com
• Waving the palms
• Back at the church

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NOTE: Photo/s are the work of the author and are copyright. Hi-res images are available upon request. Contact me if you need to use any of these or browse my stockphotos at Alamy.