The date of Lent and Easter are not fixed, which means that Holy Week dates also change each year. Holy Week typically falls sometime around the third and fourth week of March up to the first and second week of April.

In 2014, Holy Week will begin on Palm Sunday, April 13 and end on Holy Saturday, April 19.

Catholic Holy Week

The Roman Catholic Church begins Holy Week on Palm Sunday. Catholics attend mass on this day carrying palm leaves to be blessed. This practice echoes the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem, where he was met with people waving palm leaves in welcome.

Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday do not seem to have any particular events associated with them. On Holy Thursday, private celebrations of the Mass are forbidden, and the only mass celebrated on this day is the one that marks the Easter Triduum, or the three days before Easter. This mass is known as the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and represents the Last Supper in the Bible.

Good Friday is traditionally celebrated by Catholics as a day of fast. One full meal is allowed, and only dishes made with fish or vegetables are allowed. On this day, merrymaking and doing leisurely things are also discouraged, as this day marks Jesus’ crucifixion and death. Holy Saturday commemorates the day when Jesus’ body was laid to rest in the tomb. This day is separate from Easter Saturday, which is the Saturday after Easter Sunday.

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday marks the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and is the main day of joyous celebration for Christians. It also marks the start of Eastertide, or the Great Fifty Days, which is from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday.

Holy Week in Southeast Asia

Despite being predominantly of the Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim faith, Southeast Asia has its share of Catholic and Christian holidays, particularly in the countries that experienced a lengthy occupation of European colonizers. Many countries observe the celebration of the Holy Week but in small concentrations, and not all places recognize it as a public holiday.

In Malaysia, the observance of Holy Week is strong in Malaka, while Good Friday is a state holiday in the Sabah and Sarawak states.

Singapore’s Christian population is somewhat bigger, and the government recognizes Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday as national holidays (link to Singapore holiday calendar article, if it’s up). It is business as usual for most establishments, but services and some traditional celebrations occur in Christian communities across Singapore.

Thailand and Vietnam both have a small population of Christians, so the holidays pass by relatively unnoticed by the general population. However, Catholics in the capital city Ho Chi Minh celebrate Lent with traditional processions and church services.

Holy Week in the Philippines

Holy week in the Philippines is a major event and begins on Palm Sunday. People flock to the churches in droves to have palm fronds blessed, a symbol to ward off evil and protect homes from lightning strikes. While Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday pass quietly, the country marks Holy Thursday and Good Friday as national holidays. Government offices and most private businesses are closed on these days. Many people travel back to their hometowns during this long weekend. To many Filipino families, Holy Week is a time for vacation and reunions.

Various activities are held throughout the Holy Week, among of which are street processions that stop at pre-arranged homes representing a Station of the Cross. Some hold a live performance of the Passion of Christ, known locally as Sinakulo. Many people perform sacrifices, such as giving up eating meat or certain favorite foods, for the Holy Week. Many devotees, mostly male, perform self-flagellation or crucifixion as their pilgrimage.

Sacrifices

The Holy Week culminates the events around the adult life of Jesus Christ, particularly from his arrival in Jerusalem up to his death and resurrection. To the faithful, it is about his sacrifices and his troubles, and his death that atones for the sins of man. Devotees emulate this life during this time, abstaining from eating meat, merrymaking or giving up one thing that they enjoy doing.

Photo by kamerakamote

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St. John the Baptist’s festival on June 24 is observed all over the country with water dousing ritual. Generally, the people do it the socially accepted way like swimming at the beach, pools or springs. Some cities and towns make a career out of this observance, turning dry land into one great Waterworld for a day. But that is even tame in the context of “Parada ng Lechon” (Parade of Spit-Roast Pig) where one place in particular stretches the festivities to comedic proportions. The citizens of this small town don’t find it funny though, it is just how they do San Juan (St. John) traditionally.

Water and Pork Go Well Together

“Lechon” or spit-roasted pig is the traditional star of Filipino “fiestas” (festivals). No Filipino table is ever complete without serving crispy swine. This time, however, the “lechon” is the guest of honor of the festivities.

The people of Balayan, Batangas in Southwestern Luzon celebrate San Juan not only with water dousing but also with parading roast pig around town in a church-permitted procession. From all angles it looks irreverent, but it is serious business among the churchgoers.

Batanguenos (as the natives are called) have a way of preparing “lechon” that locks in all the flavors and preserves the crispiness of the skin. Long before the Spanish arrived, Batanguenos had already perfected the spit-roasting of pigs, a skill that requires patience for 5 slow hours.

Roast Pig Attending Mass

The priest of the local parish commemorates the baptism of St. John with a mass, while rows of “lechon” await outside the church grounds. Once the “lechon” and the mass goers are blessed, the parade commences.

“Lechon” Outfit: From Mischievous to Downright Naughty

Interestingly, the “lechon” is not paraded for public viewing ‘naked’. Sponsors, usually local business, can get as creative as they want in dressing up the ‘lechon’, so expect some crazy expressions of Filipino creativity gone wild. There are ‘lechon’ wearing wigs, sunglasses and raincoats, to lechon donning jerseys and hula skirts complete with pom-poms. If “lechons” are allowed to ride Harleys, it also stands to reason they are allowed to wear superhero uniforms.

Cholesterol-Laden Banquet

Hundreds of “lechon” are paraded in Balayan, Batangas every June 24th, so after the traditional processions, the only thing left to do with the ‘guest of honor’ is to feast on it. There is plenty for everyone to go around, so for tourists who are particularly fond of pork, they may want to do some portion control or risk unpleasant side effects.

It’s Raining Beer

In keeping with the San Juan tradition of ‘baptism’, participants in the “parada” are doused with water and beer! The liquids can sometimes be chilled and even freezing, so tourists who participate in the parade (or are even just watching) need to take getting wet in good humor. After all, despite the “lechon”, the undertone of the occasion is still ‘baptism’.

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Pagan Origins

Originally a harvest festival, the “Pahiyas” of Lucban, Quezon Province in Luzon, was first celebrated as a thanksgiving to the “anitos” (ancestors) for bountiful harvest: Pre-colonial Lucbanins would put out fresh produce as offerings. With the spread of Catholicism in the country, this eventually became a feast of San Isidro Labrador (St. Isidore the Laborer), the patron saint of agriculture.

“Pahiyas” means “to decorate” (the root word being “hiyas” or jewel). True to its name, the houses during the festivities are bedecked with such extravagance that “Pahiyas” puts to shame all other harvest festivals celebrated in the country.

“Kiping” the Faith

Pahiyas stands out as unique in the Philippines (and possibly the world) because it uses decor that is not only pleasing to the eyes but also to the palate. The identifying decor of Pahiyas is made from ground rice, the Philippines’ major grain.

Ground rice is made into paste and ‘painted’ unto leaves of various shapes and sizes so rice takes on this form when dried. The resulting delicate rice wafers called “kiping” (pronounced the same way as “keeping”) are then meticulously removed from the leaves and dyed using food color so they can be used as base material for various ornaments, the most photographed of which are chandelier-like artworks.

The “kiping” can also be arranged as floral decors, or tableaus depicting local sceneries. Some houses are even wall-papered with “kiping” leaves and petals, and bedecked with other ornaments that come from the farm.

Ginger Butterfly and Bean Curtains

Aside from the riot of colors brought about by using colorful rice wafers, households also decorate the facades of their houses with fresh farm produce. Foot-long beans are strung together to make curtains; pear squash are arranged with ginger to make butterflies; red bell peppers are clustered together to make garlands; and cayenne pepper and tomatoes and squash are assembled together to make crude jack-o-lanterns. Rice stalks and rice straw get second lives as effigies depicting farm characters and farm life. What was once an ancient ritual of offering fresh produce to the ancestors has indeed taken creative leaps and bounds.

The Trail of Rice Wafers

Pahiyas is celebrated on May 15 every year, the same date as St. Isidore’s death anniversary.

To commemorate the saint, his image and that of his wife Sta. Marria Torribia, are carried around town in “carrozas” (carriages) as is customary of any Catholic procession. The priest then blesses the grains and seeds and farm implements that are placed in front of the houses along the route. People used to bring these farm inputs to the church in the belief that such a blessing will ensure next year’s good harvest.

For tourists wishing to join the procession, all they need to do is follow the trail of the “kiping”: All the houses along the route are bedecked with these colorful and edible rice crispies.

After the blessings, all the farm produce, native products and “kiping” are given away. While the rice wafers can be kept as mementos (they last quite long if kept dry), they are actually best deep-fried and dipped in sugar for a crackling taste of the festivities.

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“Kadayawan” highlights are celebrated on the third weekend of August (17-18 August 2013), although pre-festival shows and festival-related events spill over before and after the week-long celebration.

“Pahinungod”: A Lumad Thanksgiving

The 10 ethnic tribes of Davao have been practicing since pre-colonial times a “pahinungod” or offering to the gods after a bountiful harvest. They would gather together at the foot of Mt. Apo and sing and dance and offer food in gratitude. This converging together is called “panagtagbo”, an event that is still observed during the opening ceremonies and in various events spread across the city over the festival period.

Celebrating the Gifts of Nature and a Celebration of Serene Life

“Kadayawan” comes from the Mandaya (one of the tribes) root word “madayaw”, a greeting to signify something superlative or beautiful.

Mt. Apo is definitely superlative, and waling-waling is certainly beautiful. More than these however, the people of Davao have something much more to celebrate other than the bounty of nature: The city has one of the country’s lowest crime rates; their culture has peacefully coexisted with elements of Spanish influence; and their ancestral roots are still living among them and taking part in local governance.

Lumad Pageantry, Street Dancing and Floral Parades

Unlike the pageants around the country that seem to focus only on external beauty, the “Hiyas sa Kadayawan” (Jewel of Kadayawan) is a search of “lumad” lass who best represents her tribe through her knowledge of indigenous culture, cultural performance and indigenous costume.

“Indak-Indak sa Kadalanan” is a street dancing competition that showcases each tribe’s thanksgiving rituals. The costumes and headdresses are blindingly colorful, and the choreography is reminiscent of “lumad” rites.

Known as the home of waling-waling, Davao is proud of it and declares it with a statement through “Pamulak Kadayawan”, a visual treat of floral floats that cruise through the city’s major thoroughfares.

Lumad Markets, Photo Contests and Trade Fairs

True to its earlier goals, Kadayawan is not only a celebration of culture, but also an opportunity to market Davao as a lucrative destination for business. Arts and crafts and “lumad” artifacts are displayed alongside commercial and industrial achievements of Davao and surrounding regions. Davao’s past and present are also celebrated in photo contests that visually strengthen reminders of Davao’s history to younger audiences.

Indigenous Soul Through Music, Choreography and Skin Art

Concerts feature Mindanao sounds and “lumad”-inspired music, and dance showdowns are representative of the rituals performed by the Ubo and Ata Manobo, Tagabawa, K’lata, Maguindanao, Tausug, Matigsalog, Maranao, Sama and Kalagan (Davao “lumad”).

Concerts are not only opportunities to get into the vibe and let loose, but also an occasion to get a (semi)permanent mark of temporary Davao insanity.

The post Kadayawan Sa Dabaw: A Festival of Ten Tribes appeared first on .

As a traveler, you’ll be able to plan out your trip around the days when there will most likely be activities and events based on these holidays. Locals will be amused to see that this cheeky graphic also hints when are the best days to file for vacation leaves to maximize the holidays.

For more details on these holidays, read the Philippines Public Holiday Schedule for 2013.

Infographic by Jonas Roque – He calls himself “A genius, blogger, developer, traveller, thousanaire, humorist.” He graduated cum laude from the University of the Philippines with a degree in computer science. He created a spoof site of Facebook called “Facebuko” that featured fake yet funny status messages of famous personalities, characters and celebrities.

The post Philippines Long Weekend Guide for 2013 appeared first on .

Wreath-Laying Rites in the Libingan ng mga Bayani

As befitting the occasion, the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Tomb of the National Heroes) in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City (National Capital Region) is the center of this day’s occasion. The Libingan is where the heroes and martyrs of the Philippine Revolution are buried, along with the defenders of Bataan and Corregidor. Servicemen, both American and Filipinos, of World War II are also laid to rest here, together with a few of the country’s presidents, senators and generals.

The wreath-laying rites in Taguig are led by the president of the Philippines and officials in the higher echelons of the government. Similar rites are also carried out in other historical sites like the Mausoleo de los Veteranos de la Revoluccion (Tomb of the Veterans of Revolution) and the Manila North Cemetery. Chinese-Filipino firemen who died in the line of duty are also specially commemorated on this day at the Chinese Cemetery in Manila.

The Rizal Park, where Jose Rizal was executed (by Spanish authorities) and buried, is a memorial not only to the Philippine’s national hero, but also to hundreds of others before him and after him who fought for independence from Spain.

To ensure they are not mere footnotes in history, the Katipuneros (patriots of the Philippine Revolution) are remembered in black granite slabs that line the Pathway to Glory in Heroes’ Square inside the park. The first wreath-laying ceremony was conducted in August of this year, and a commemorative walk is planned next year.

Tree-Planting Activity at Capas National Shrine

Capas, Tarlac figures prominently in Philippine history because it was the final stop of the Bataan Death March (forcible and brutal transfer of Filipino and American prisoners of war captured by the Japanese in the Fall of Bataan) and consequently, the POWs internment camp. Thousands of servicemen died in the camp, and their remains are marked by the Capas National Shrine.

The most recent addition to wreath-laying ritual in the marker is the tree planting activity intended to commemorate each fallen defender of Bataan and Corregidor. This activity is participated by the descendants of both American and Filipino servicemen who died in the Death March and the ensuing wars.

Revisiting History and Fostering Patriotism in Schools

Next year, the National Heroes’ Day 2013 is scheduled on August 26, a Monday. Because this day is a national holiday, government offices, schools and financial institutions are closed. In schools, the week leading to and after the National Heroes’ Day is dedicated to reliving patriotism and instilling nationalistic values to students through creative and essay writing, storytelling, drawing, debates and oratorical contests.

Business As Usual With Bursts of Street Demonstrations

It is quite a tradition in the Philippines to hold street demonstrations on occasions that celebrate freedom, independence and heroism. The National Heroes’ Day is no exception, so tourists can expect a healthy amount of ‘street parliamentarism’ on this day. Demonstrations are particularly concentrated in Metro Manila (the National Capital Region) where national media coverage is omnipresent. Aside from occasional outbursts of sentiment, these demonstrations are relatively contained and trouble-free.

The rest of the country is business as usual as shopping malls, commercial establishments and tourist facilities remain open until regular hours.

Photos by Benson Kua, Jun Acullador and Kleomarlo

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Simultaneous Flag-Raising Ceremonies Nationwide

Independence Day 2013 falls on Wednesday, June 12, the most nationalistic of all national holidays. As befitting the occasion, simultaneous flag-raising events are held in historical places and throughout the country to memorialize that day when the Philippine flag was first flown in Cawit, Cavite.

The president of the Philippines leads the 7AM flag-raising ceremony in various historical places in the course of his 6-year tenure. This year, he spearheaded the nationally coordinated hoisting of the flag in Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan, seat of the first Philippine Congress. Last year, he led the celebrations in Cawit, Cavite where the Proclamation of Independence was first read.

The country’s vice president and members of the cabinet lead flag-hoisting ceremonies in other places of historical significance; notably, places in Luzon that led the uprising against Spain. There are also wreath-laying ceremonies in the tombs of the fallen heroes, notably in Rizal Park, the Bonifacio Monument, and the tomb of Emilio Aguilnaldo, memorials to pivotal heroes of the Philippine Revolution.

In Cebu and Davao, regional hubs of Central and Southern Philippines, respectively, parades and flag-hoisting ceremonies are led by the cities’ local government executives.

Flag Day on Araw ng Kalayaan

It being a highly nationalistic holiday, the Philippine Independence Day is an opportunity for everyone outside of mandated institutions to display the Philippine flag as a sign of celebration, common identity, and national unity. Homes and businesses are bedecked with Philippine flags and national symbols starting late May until late June. Miniature flags are displayed in public and private conveyances.

The Filipino National Costume Graces Red Carpets

In the functions and banquets – featuring no less than Filipino cuisines – that follow flag-raising ceremonies, government officials, guests and even dignitaries wear the Filipino national costume: “Barong Tagalog” for men (lightweight, translucent and long-sleeved formal garment worn over an undershirt) and “baro’t saya” for women (a blouse and skirt ensemble that often features elaborate embroidery and patterns).

Filipinos Wear Their Nationalistic Hearts on Their Sleeves

For the Filipino on the street, wearing the national emblems and colors – blue, red and yellow, sometimes in the exact replica of the Philippine flag – is widespread on Independence Day. Shirts printed with images of national heroes and national symbols are another acceptable expression of nationalism.

Companies that remain open on this day, like business process outsourcing centers, encourage their employees to come to work in nationalistic attire.

Open-Air Concerts, Cultural Performances, Native Sports Exhibitions and More!

Admission-free musicals, concerts, cultural dances, street theater, native sports demonstrations, film showing sessions, multimedia art exhibitions, tributes to national heroes, and fireworks held in venues all throughout Manila, the country’s capital, all lend color and texture to the affair.

Similar celebrations are carried out in various parts of Central and Southern Luzon, particularly in Cebu and Davao.

Freedom of Expression Openly Expressed

Citizen vigilance groups take advantage of the event, and the attendant media coverage, to place before the public their grievances against the government. Street demonstrations on Independence Day can be intensely emotional, and conflicts between the demonstrators and law enforcers often arise when effigies (of political leaders such as the president) are publicly burned or defaced. Street protests are given maximum tolerance by the government, and are considered healthy expressions of civil liberties, the very essence that Independence Day stands for.

Photo by Trishhhh

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Maundy Thursday 2013 falls on March 28.

Community Preparations for Maundy Thursday

Households along the “Via Crucis” or the Way of the Cross collaborate to put up the 14 Stations of the Cross in time for Maundy Thursday processions. Preparations normally start a day before and are a great occasion for neighbors to socialize and reflect on the significance of Holy Week as a community.

The stations are chapel-like structures that bear the image of Jesus’ journey from the Garden of Gethsemane to His death and entombment. In rural communities, these chapels are improvised and bedecked with indigenous decorations.

Maundy Thursday Mass

This day is believed to be the day that Jesus Chris shared His last supper with His 12 disciples. Thus, the institution of the Eucharist is commemorated by the Catholic Church on this day. The welcoming of new adherents to the Catholic faith is also incorporated in the liturgy.

A noteworthy celebration during the mass is the reenactment of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, a hospitality practice prevalent during the time of Christ. The priest, dramatizing the event as Jesus Christ, washes the feet of his disciples played by the lay members of the Church.

The Way of the Cross and Life-Sized Religious Icons

After the mass, the procession of statues along the Way of the Cross commences. These statues are lifelike renditions of characters and events of the 14 Stations of the Cross, intended to educate the faithful of what Jesus Christ went through to save them from their sins.

This procession is full of detail and color. The carriages are decorated with fresh flowers and brightly colored cloth, and the religious icons themselves are dressed in expensive garments. The statues are traditionally owned by the old rich families of the town, so some of the images are centuries-old and made of materials imported from Spain and Portugal.

The procession is joined by the faithful, often helping to pull and push the carriage when motorized conveyances are not available. At dusk, the statues arrive at church grounds in a candlelit procession.

Visita Iglesia: A Modern Version of Church-Hopping

In urban areas where churches are in close proximity, “visita Iglesia” (Church visit) is a thriving tradition. Able-bodied penitents would visit 7 churches and recite the Stations of the Cross as they move from one church to another. Others are more in keeping with the original tradition of visiting just one church and spending time before the Blessed Sacrament on the Altar of Repose in silence and reflection.

The deeply devout, on the other hand, display their faith by carrying a cross from church to church as they emulate Christ’s via Crucis.

Travel Tips on Maundy Thursday

Government offices and all, save commercial, institutions are closed for the Holy Week starting this day. Malls are open until regular hours so some last-minute shopping can still be done before they close on Good Friday and resume on Black Saturday.

Traffic is heavy on Maundy Thursday as city workers leave for their provinces for the long weekend ahead. Land and sea transportations can be overbooked weeks before the Lenten holidays, and overloading of these conveyances are still a reality. Hence it is important to avoid boarding vessels which are clearly beyond capacity.

Maundy Thursday coincides with peak summer season so accommodation in premiere tourist spots like Boracay and Palawan fills up months before the Holy Week. Rates are also generally higher than the regular season, so a weekend stay in these retreats can be more than backpacker friendly.

As a whole, Maundy Thursday is an apt introduction to more color and higher drama that is uniquely the Filipino’s way of celebrating Good Friday.

The post Maundy Thursday 2013: The First Station on the Way of the Cross appeared first on .

So mark your calendar, put your best foot forward, and shed your inhibitions.

Ati-Atihan Festival
14-20 January 2013 in Kalibo, Aklan

Originally celebrated as a pagan thanksgiving festival of upland-dwelling “ati” (Aeta) to the help given by lowlanders (descendants of Malay chieftains who fled from the island of Borneo) after a bad harvest of the Aetas, Ati-Atihan evolved to be a religious festival celebrating the Infant Jesus. The Aetas of the original festival danced for the lowlanders in grateful acknowledgment of the food they were given, and the lowlanders joined with them in celebration. Today, that very ritual is the core of the festivities, with merrymakers donning Aeta costumes (elaborate headdresses, spears, shields and colorful loincloths) and painting their bodies with soot. The “tribes” perform for the audience (but compete with each other for prizes) to the accompaniment of upbeat percussions that inspire wild abandon.

Dinagyang Festival
25-27 January 2013 in Iloilo City

Dinagyang, Ilonggo term for revelry, is the Iloilo version of Aklan’s Ati-Atihan. In keeping with authenticity, Aeta tribes from the hinterlands are sometimes invited to perform their dances and rituals, while the rest of the “tribes” compete with one another for prizes. As a result, costumes can really go over the top, and moves uninhibited as both performers and spectators gyrate and cavort to the drums.

Sinulog Festival
11-20 January 2013 in Cebu City

Sinulog Festival celebrates the embrace of Roman Catholicism by the natives of Cebu, the first people of the islands to have done so. A fluvial parade is scheduled on the morning of the 3rd Sunday of January (January 20) when the image of the Infant Jesus or Santo Nino is carried by bedecked motorized boat from Mandaue City to Cebu City. A reenactment of the Catholic conversion of Cebuanos (natives of Cebu) is performed in the morning, and a more solemn procession takes place in the afternoon of the feast day. On the days leading to the feast day, colorfully-clad Sinulog performers take to the streets to do the “sulog” dance (dance movement that mimics the water current) to the sound of percussions and native gongs.  The more traditional rendition of this dance is performed by candle vendors outside the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino in Cebu City, where they do the “two steps forward, one step backward” dance for devotees who want to light candles and offer prayers.

MassKara Festival
1-19 October 2013 in Bacolod City

In 1980, Negros Occidental and its capital Bacolod City was hard hit by the sugar crisis. As the province was mostly reliant on sugar back then (and even now), the crisis meant a period of famine for farm workers and their families. To rally the Negrenses to persevere despite the economic gloom, the MassKara festival was born. The festival is celebrated throughout the first two weeks, and sometimes even extends to the third week, of October, to celebrate the Bacolod Charter Anniversary as well. “MassKara” is a word play for “mask”, the prominent feature of the festivities as all street performers wear smiling masks and brightly colored costumes as they dance to taped Ilonggo music. A recent addition to the festivities is the Electric Masskara, where performers wear LED lights on their costumes and perform in the evening on each stage set along Bacolod’s main artery. Revelers who are too conscious to lose it on the streets may opt to wear a mask, or bring one home as souvenir.

These are by no means the only festivities in the region, but these are by far the biggest in terms of participant turnout and scale of grandiosity. “Fiestas” or festivals are deeply ingrained in the Filipino psyche, and each town and even “barrio” (borough) celebrate their own festivities to honor their local patron saint. This means that anytime and anywhere is a good time to visit and celebrate with the people.

Photos by blueacid, jsigharas, blueacid and jeff pioquinto, sj

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Wreath-laying Ceremony at the Shrine of Valor in Mt. Samat, Bataan

Every year, on April 9, the gallantry of Filipino and American soldiers is remembered as Araw ng Kagitingan, a national holiday. American soldiers who survived the Fall of Bataan and the ensuing Death March came to know the day as The Day of Valor.

The main ceremonies are held in Bataan. The president of the Philippines presides over the wreath-laying ritual at the Dambana ng Kagitingan (Shrine of Valor). Surviving war veterans and relatives of those who perished in the Battle of Bataan attend the ceremony along with the ambassadors of the United States and Japan.

Leading to the day of the Araw ng Kagitingan, wreath-laying ceremonies are also held in the nearby island of Corregidor. This volcanic outcrop of an island known as The Rock fell into the hands of the Japanese a month after the Fall of Bataan.

Parade of Colors in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City

In Manila, a sunrise ceremony is led by the Philippine Armed Forces at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes’ Tomb). At 6AM, wreaths and prayers are offered to those who fell in Bataan and World War II. Then, the officers of the Philippine Armed Forces, surviving veterans, and families of the fallen proceed to the parade grounds to witness the Testimonial Review of the Troops. Able-bodied veterans are carried by 10 albino water buffalos (traditional military parade vehicles) as they review the formation of troops participated by contingents from the Philippine Army, Navy and Air Force.

Bataan Death March Memorial Ceremonies in Capas, Tarlac

After 76,000 Filipino and American soldiers who defended Bataan were surrendered by their Allied commanders, they were forcibly transferred on April 9, 1942 from the southern end of the Bataan peninsula to a Japanese-held American fort in Capas, Tarlac. This transfer of prisoners of war came to be known as the Bataan Death March.

To educate younger generations of the atrocities that Filipino soldiers suffered at the hands of their Japanese captors, commemoration ceremonies are held in Capas National Shrine, where surviving war veterans and their families offer flowers and prayers to those who died along the 80-mile march and in the internment camp marked by the shrine.

21 Gun Salute for War Veterans in Cebu

In Cebu, the regional hub of Central Philippines, the fallen war veterans are honored with a sunrise mass and wreath-laying in Mandaue. The surviving ones attend the 21 gun salute ceremony held at the Plaza Independencia (Independence Square) in the city proper.

Flags at Half-Mast and Business as Usual for the Rest of the Filipinos

Flags are flown half-mast after the usual flower and prayer offerings to the war veterans by civil servants. Government offices and schools are closed on this day, but commercial establishments remain business as usual on Araw ng Kagitingan 2013.

Next year, the day falls on a Tuesday, but may be moved to Monday if proclaimed by the Office of the President.

Photos by Atty. Guevarra and Governor Abercrombie

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From Jerusalem to Calvary

The Holy Week is one of the biggest, most colorful and most theatrical festivities of the Catholic Church along with Christmas. In the Philippines, the ‘Semana Santa’ (original Spanish name) or ‘Mahal na Araw (literally ‘dear days’) is the week preceding Easter Sunday. In this predominantly Catholic country, the focus of the celebrations is not just on the resurrection of Christ, but also on His crucifixion and the events that led up to it. In fact, given the penchant of Filipinos for everything heart-tugging, the crucifixion of Christ has always been more colorful than the other activities of the Holy Week.

The Iglesia Filipina Independiente, or the Philippine Independent Church that broke away from the Vatican, also celebrates the Holy Week in the same, albeit less dramatic, manner as the Catholics.

Palm Sunday (24 March 2013)

The Holy Week 2013 in the Philippines starts with the commemoration of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem for the Passover, a major Jewish religious feast. His arrival was marked with the waving of green branches.

To commemorate this, Catholics cut young palm fronds (Philippines being abundant in coconut trees) and stylize them to various symbols of the Catholic faith. Palm fronds sold on the streets are usually fashioned into doves and flowers, but the more traditional symbol made out of individual fronds is the cross. These are then brought to the Church for blessing, and after the mass, brought back home to adorn doorways in the belief that these sanctified palm crosses ward off evil and cure ailments when burned.

Holy Monday until Holy Wednesday (25 to 27 March 2013)

Adolescent boys of the community dress up as Christ’s disciples. They go from house to house to reenact the disciples’ preaching. Girls dress up as other Biblical characters and do the same and recite prayers.

On Holy Wednesday, Catholic households along the procession route work together to put up the 14 Stations of the Cross. The stations depict important events from Jesus’ time in the garden of Gethsemane to his burial.

Maundy Thursday (28 March 2013)

Maundy Thursday is the start of regular holiday related to the celebrations of Holy Week. In the Philippines, this day is commemorated with an afternoon mass and a reenactment of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. The reenactment is performed by the priest and his lay ministers in disciples’ costumes. After the mass, wooden statues (sometimes centuries old) of characters depicted in the 14 Stations of the Cross are carried along the “Via Crucis” or the Way of the Cross in a dusk candlelight procession.

Penitents start their ‘visita Iglesia” (Church visit) on this day, or do it all together on Good Friday.

Good Friday (29 March 2013)

Good Friday is the most somber day of the Holy Week. Culturally, however, the festivities are the highlights of the occasion.

Christ’s death on the cross is commemorated in various ways by the Catholic Church and the lay.

There are no masses held on Good Friday. Instead, the church recites Jesus Christ’s seven last words and contemplates on their spiritual meaning. The church’s (official) celebration of Good Friday starts before 3PM so that at exactly 3PM, the time when Christ was said to have died, the faithful can venerate the cross and join the procession for the Burial of the Christ.

The Burial procession is an occasion of epic proportions. Of the days of the Triduum (the three days before Easter), Good Friday processions are the most lavish and grandiose. This is an opportunity for wealthy families to display their status while keeping things religious.

The dusk procession is even made more dramatic as carriages light up and make striking contrasts with life-sized statues and their adornments. Coupled with thousands of candle lights marking the Way of the Cross, the scene of Good Friday at dusk is both somber and eerie.

After the procession, the “Santo Entierro”, or the wooden statue of the dead Christ, is laid in state so Catholics can venerate the image. Veneration traditionally took the form of kissing the Santo Entierro’s feet. (Acolytes wipe the statue’s feet with disinfectant to minimize the spread of disease.)

The lay version of Good Friday is the “senakulo” or the dramatization of Christ’s Passion. In some parts of the Philippines, mock crucifixion uses real nails.

Filipinos take it seriously when it comes to atonement of sins. Devout penitents take part in an actual crucifixion complete with props and characters dressed in Biblical costumes. In San Fernando, Pampanga (Northern Philippines), the “senakulo” is a spectacle that draws throngs of tourists. In Guimaras in Western Visayas (Central Philippines), the Hiligaynon version is “taltal” and no less blood-tinged.

In Manila and Quezon City, penitent “sinners” walk around town and flagellate themselves with sticks, bamboo slats and chains in an act of penance called ‘penitencia’. The penitents don improvised crowns of thorns and masks (more to hide their identities than anything else).

It is worthy to note that as deeply religious as these rites may be, they are actually condemned by the Catholic Church.

The rest of Filipino Catholics prefer to engage in milder forms of penance. In Intramuros (Walled City in Manila) and in Cebu in Central Philippines, devout Catholics follow a tradition called “Visita Iglesia” (Church visit) where they visit seven churches and recite the Stations of the Cross in each church. The deeply pious even carry a cross as he or she goes from church to church.

All over the country, the pious ‘walk’ to the altar on their knees in fervent prayer for healing, better life or miracles.

In rural areas, the modern equivalent of witch doctors brew amulets on this day. It is said that amulets are bestowed with more power if made on Good Friday.

Consumption of meat and meat-based foods is forbidden on this day.

Black Saturday (30 March 2013)

This is the last day of regular holidays in relation to Holy Week. On this day, families stay home and contemplate, or take part in an evening liturgy preempting Easter Sunday.

Churchgoers may opt to join a dusk candlelight procession of statues of Biblical women characters who served Jesus Christ on His way to the cross. This procession, concluded by the statue of the grieving Virgin Mary, depicts the mourning that follows after Christ’s body was entombed.

Easter Sunday (31 March 2013)

On pre-dawn “Pasko ng Pagkabuhay” (Pasch), the imagined meeting (“salubong”) of the Risen Christ and the Mater Dolorosa (the grieving mother) is dramatized. The statue of the Risen Christ, which comes from one end of the community, is carried by the menfolk while the statue of the Mater Dolorosa, which comes from the opposite end, is carried by the womenfolk. The procession meets halfway, during which an angel – usually a young girl from the community – lifts the Virgin Mary’s black veil as a sign of the end of her grief. As the veil is lifted, the Hallelujah Chorus is sung, and the mass starts. Interestingly, in some parts of the country, the ‘salubong’ is punctuated by fireworks.

There is actually no Biblical reference that says Christ met the Virgin Mary first after He rose from the dead. As opposed to ‘penitencia’, this religious rite, despite its lack of Biblical basis, was actually initiated by the Catholic Church in a colorful display of the Filipino mother and son dynamics.

Instead of hunting for Easter eggs, Filipino families spend the rest of the day on the beach. The Easter Bunny, however, is starting to make its presence felt in urban areas and upscale communities.

Travel Tips During the Holy Week Holidays

Very few businesses open on full hours starting Maundy Thursday. Government offices are closed until Good Friday, and almost all commercial establishments, including shopping malls, are closed for the entire day. Public transportation is scarce on Good Friday. Regular trips and regular business hours resume on Black Saturday.

Accommodations during Holy Week are often booked months in advance, especially in prime beach destinations like Boracay and Palawan. Holy Week coincides with peak summer season so hotel rates are more expensive than usual.

Holiday goers start preparations on Holy Wednesday, so by Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning, major thoroughfares can be extremely clogged with slow-moving traffic. Beach destinations start to fill up on Maundy Thursday.

Filipinos working in major urban centers often go home for Holy Week celebrations. This means that there is massive movement of people from Manila, Cebu, Davao and other major cities to the provinces. Air, land and sea transport are booked weeks in advance, but overbooking sometimes occurs in land and sea carriers. While every precaution is taken by local enforcement authorities to ensure that conveyances are not overloaded, less scrupulous transport operators could sometimes get away with overloading resulting to road mishaps or marine disasters. Hence, it is critical to exercise caution when boarding suspiciously overloaded vessels.

This urban exodus is reversed on Black Saturday and Easter Sunday, when people from the provinces go back to their jobs in the cities. The same issues in transportation arise as millions of Filipinos beat the clock and each other to get to their destinations on time.

Traditionally, major thoroughfares are blocked and transformed into the Way of the Cross. Increasingly, the colorful and sometimes lavish processions of Catholic statues from Maundy Thursday until Black Saturday have become tourist attractions in themselves, creating additional pressure on the condition of the traffic. Consider this scenario when going from one place to another during the holidays.

In sum, the Semana Santa is one Philippine holiday you must experience to get a more well-rounded understanding of the country’s customs, values, beliefs and heritage. Filipinos are largely shaped by their faith, and no other holiday depicts them more colorfully (and realistically) than the Holy Week.

Below are two Philippines Travel Guide Videos for Holy Week :

Photos by Proust, kamerakamote and mayrpamintuan

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What do people do?

Southeast Asian countries mark the Labour Day celebration as a public holiday; labour unions and trade unions take this opportunity to have their voices heard, so that the government and employers can take a closer look at what the workers’ groups have to say about their present working conditions – and what they want to be improved when it comes to these conditions. In some countries, Labour Day is marked with protests against certain policies that may be seen by the working class as unfair, and these protests are mostly attended by different labour groups who aim to push for the implementation of laws that can make their working lives even better.

Labour Day is a public holiday in Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Burma, East Timor, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. In Indonesia, Labour Day is also commemorated but continues to be a regular working and school day; it is rarely observed as a holiday by businesses. In the countries where Labour Day is celebrated, it is common to see protest marches with groups of workers in city centers (such as Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and Manila in the Philippines) to air their grievances against policies that they feel are not ton their best interests as workers. Employers and governments usually schedule dialogues with workers’ groups so that an appropriate venue for the concerns can be available, to hopefully come up with resolutions (in most cases, the implementation of improved labour-related laws) that will address both the employers’ and the workers’ main concerns.

Photo by karasantos

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