Christians in Philippines nail themselves to crosses and furiously whip themselves as act of penitence in Good Friday ritual. While a majority of the Philippines' 80 million Catholics spend Good Friday at church or with family, participants undergo the gruesome spectacle to atone for sins or give thanks for divine intervention. Pampanga, only about a two-hour drive from Manila, attempted to thwart Christians seeking to crucify themselves by removing crosses that typically stand on a hill in San Pedro Cutud, waiting to be filled on Good Friday. “It was a miracle I survived the fall without a bone broken. Catholic penitents in the Philippines have defied the country’s partial coronavirus lockdown to self-flagellate in a bloody Easter ritual commemorating the death of Jesus on Good Friday. Self-flagellation and actual crucifixion is a tradition unique to the Philippines, however, which the Vatican has often attempted to distance itself from. Barefoot flagellants have their bloodied backs whipped as penance outside a closed church, defying government orders to avoid religious gatherings and stay home to curb the spread of the coronavirus, as they commemorate Good Friday on April 2, 2021 in Manila, Philippines. About a dozen Catholics regularly have themselves nailed to wooden crosses on Good Friday as penance for their sins. Good Friday - Philippines Good Friday in the Philippines is always the Friday before Easter Sunday. Lazatin says many choose to participate for the first time when their loved ones suffer from illness. The town has reportedly relocated the crosses on another hill, where Enaje spent his day this year praying. Lazatin says the city expects around 40,000 visitors. First-aiders are at the site, helping those who collapse from heath, dehydration and need their wounds treated. This day commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the Cross. As the Good Friday rituals went on, tourists, both foreign and local, were on hand to take pictures and marvel at the sight. “It is prohibited to do any act of penance or flagellation. While the town did not allow public crucifixions — which attract as many as 50,000 people on some occasions — at least one man was crucified this week in the Philippines: Greg Meer Horton, who performed his ritual away from the public eye in Batangas, on the other side of the greater Manila area. Catholic devotees crucified in the Philippines for Good Friday - YouTube. Christians observe Good Friday traditions in anticipation of Easter, the holiest day of the year in Christianity, which marks the resurrection of Jesus following his crucifixion. Horton’s crucifixion on Tuesday was his eighth. Easter PenitentsPassion of the Philippines in the Philippines. Photo by Flickr user istolethetv. Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting. Penitents commemorate Jesus Christ's crucifixion and resurrection with self-flagellation, whipping their backs with wooden flails. "I want to only do this until next year," Enaje told Reuters. Priests aboard a pickup truck make door to door visits to bless residents to avoid the spread of [Chinese coronavirus] while commemorating Good Friday on April 2, 2021 in Quezon city, Metro Manila, Philippines. The Philippines’ crucifixion reenactments will be canceled this year as coronavirus cases climb, said authorities in the city where the annual tourist spectacle is held. 2 Residents of the area have long claimed that the ancient local image of the Santo Kristo, or Crucified Christ, has miraculous healing power. President Rodrigo Duterte banned mass gatherings for Holy Week in the greater Manila Metropolitan area and several other parts of the country documented rapidly increasing numbers of Chinese coronavirus, threatening to shut churches down if they defied the ban. According to the Bible, Jesus was 33 years old at the time of his crucifixion. pic.twitter.com/qMQq0C3SNq, — Lady Vicencio (@lady_vicencio) April 1, 2021. Follow Frances Martel on Facebook and Twitter. Devotees say their wounds can take up to two weeks to heal but are a small price to pay to be able to express their faith through the extreme acts. When asked why he goes through the pain, he says: "Too many sins, too many sins.". Thousands wait patiently for long hours in 40 degrees heat, just to catch a glimpse of this brutal tradition. I owe my life to Jesus that’s why every Good Friday I have to undergo the crucifixion ritual.”. For some, it's their faith. It is for our own good against the spread of Covid-19.”. In the Philippines, crosses were removed from a site dubbed the country's 'crucifixion capital', to prevent crowds of penitents arriving, in violation of pandemic restrictions. I used to do this as a promise to our Lord for repentance, but last year it was postponed due to quarantine restrictions. Catholic devotees of the town of Mulanay wear costumes as they reenact the passion of the Christ as part of their annual tradition during holy week, on March 31, 2021 in Mulanay, Philippines. In fact, when I was on the ground, I did not stand up immediately thinking I broke my legs and body, but after a few moments I found out I was okay. The mock crucifixions on Good Friday have been going on for decades despite official disapproval from the nation's dominant Catholic Church. Good Friday in San Fernando, Pampanga province, was a bloody culmination of the Holy Week Philippines! Devotees offers prayers outside the Quiapo Church on Good Friday, April 2, 2021 as the government implements a strict lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Manila, Philippines. Good Friday crucifixion at San Pedro Cutud, a barangay in San Fernando City, Pampanga province. Renate, pictured, has participated in the Good Friday celebrations for the past 23 years. In addition to the Good Friday crucifixions, other believers drag heavy crosses or crawl on bloodied hands and knees in cities and towns across the country. Easter is a popular festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial after his crucifixion by Romans at Calvary. Devotees re-enacted Jesus's crucifixion in gory scenes while millions of other less extreme faithful across the Catholic Philippines prayed with their families on Good Friday. In Mulanay, a beachside reenactment yielded dramatic images of actors dressed as Romans accompanying an actor portraying Jesus carrying a cross along the coast on Wednesday. Public health officials in the Philippines have warned those partaking in the ceremonies against the risk of developing infections. Ruben Enaje grimaces in pain during his cruxifixion in San Pedro Cutud, Philippines. Maleldo, the Holy Week re-enactment of Christ's Passion and Death, has been performed every year for the past 51 years, city councilor Jimmy Lazatin said. “This act of crucifixion is my way of sacrifice this Holy Week. Passion of the Philippines — A penitent is nailed to a cross during the reenactment of crucifixion on Good Friday in the village of San Juan, San Fernando City, … Enaje, a carpenter and house painter, explained in an interview with the Manila Standard last year that he began the tradition in 1986 after surviving a fall from the third floor of a building unscathed while completing a job. CUTUD, April 22, 2011 (AFP) – Devotees re-enacted Jesus’s crucifixion in gory scenes while millions of other less extreme faithful across the Catholic Philippines prayed with their families on Good Friday. “Mass gathering is prohibited so as to prevent the spread of Covid [Chinese coronavirus],” Eric Bangal, a local official, told reporters. Since the 1980s, Ruben Enaje, 58, has portrayed Jesus Christ's crucifixion and death on Good Friday in front of crowds of locals and tourists in a village north of Manila. “His two pairs of steel nails will remain unused, soaked in alcohol inside a glass bottle,” the Inquirer noted. The crucifixion event even had major sponsors—two of the Philippines largest mobile phone companies. The crucifixions take place predominantly in the province of Pampanga. Good Friday is one of the holiest days in Christianity, when Christians mourn the crucifixion of Jesus. So, this year, I am pushing through with it even before Good Friday,” Horton told reporters. (AP) Outside of Manila, regular reenactments of the Passion of Jesus Christ occurred as they have for decades, though some rescheduled the events, potentially to limit attendance. Had the pandemic not occurred, he would have endured his 35th crucifixion on Friday. (Ezra Acayan/Getty Images), “I prayed for my parents. Christians in San Pedro Cutud — a neighborhood in Pampanga, Philippines — canceled the annual Good Friday crucifixions for the second year in a row in response to federal limits on gatherings to curb the spread of Chinese coronavirus. 2016: Filipinos crucified, whipped on Good Friday. Up to 5,000 men have chosen to participate in the Good Friday celebration as penitents. The event attracts thousands of tourists. And whoever violates this rule will be apprehended by the police. For others, it's "macho" entertainment. Good Friday is one of the holiest days in Christianity, when Christians mourn the crucifixion of Jesus. Full stop!” Duterte spokesman Harry Roque warned this week. While crucifixions were rare this year, Manila residents defied Duterte’s lockdown to perform traditional street flagellations in small numbers, wearing masks while receiving lashings on the street. (NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty Images). Bishops in the Philippines - which is home to 75 million Catholics - have discouraged people from engaging in extreme acts of faith, like self-flagellation. San Pedro Cutud crucified eight men and one woman in 2019, the last time the government allowed the ritual. Ruben Enaje, the man who holds the record for enduring the most crucifixions in his life, lamented that he would not be able to fulfill his vow to God for the second year in a row. About 80 percent of its population is believed to be Catholic, and over 90 percent subscribe to some form of Christianity. It's part of a controversial Easter tradition in the country where people will undergo real-life crucifixions as an expression of their faith. A very painful Good Friday tradition that is still followed in Pampanga, Philippines, is that around 3 to 12 men are literally nailed to a cross on Good Friday to recreate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. A girl watches penitents carrying wooden crosses taking a rest along a road during a ceremony in Angeles City, Pampanga. Easter and Good Friday in Philippines. Catholics typically mark the holiday with fasting, processions, and other holy services. The Good Friday ritual is not recommended by religious leaders in the Philippines, Asia’s largest Roman Catholic nation, but the gory event has persisted. Philippines annual ritual: reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Enaje told the Philippine Inquirer that he felt “sadness” at not having the opportunity to repeat the tradition. “While I was falling I uttered the words ‘Dios ko!’ (‘My God!’), and the next thing I knew I was on the ground, but fully conscious!” Enaje said at the time. They flog themselves with wooden whips and some are nailed to the cross to atone for their sins. Prior to 2020, Enaje had been crucified for 33 consecutive years in San Pedro Cutud. The tradition has its origins in a play about Jesus written by a local playwright in the 1950s, which led to the first crucifixion in 1962. In Philippines, most people follow Catholic faith. In the Philippines, the men wear a crown of thorns and tied to the cross. Philippine Christian devotee Ruben Enaje, 58, reacts as he is nailed to a cross during a reenactment of the Crucifixion of Christ during Good Friday ahead of Easter in the village of Cutud near San Fernando on April 19, 2019. As Christians around the world celebrate Easter, religious fanatics in the Philippines commemorate the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ with extreme acts of penitence. A man playing the role of Jesus Christ during Holy Week in the Philippines was crucified for the 33rd time on Good Friday. The mock crucifixions on Good Friday have been going on for decades despite official disapproval from the nation's dominant Catholic Church. A Kristo is carried away to a waiting stretcher after having been nailed to a cross at San Pedro Cutud, San Fernando City, Pampanga. Good Friday in the Philippines. There is great significance attached to the fact that this the 33rd time Enaje has done this. The Philippines is one of the most Catholic countries in the world. The Philippines province of Pampanga hosted nine crucifixions and hundreds of flagellations in its Good Friday observance this year, a tradition the Vatican discourages but continues to thrive thanks to faithful who view it as the ultimate act of penance. “Even during this pandemic, I don’t believe we will be affected by COVID as long as we pray.”. Jimmy Lazatin, city councilor who co-organizes the event, says the men have different reasons for their actions. Two men and a woman were later crucified to wooden crosses after Enaje's act. During these realistic crucifixions actors drive four-inch nails into both his hands and feet and lift him on a wooden cross for around five minutes. Enaje, who is Catholic, said he continues the tradition to remind the world about the plight of Jesus Christ, but he added he has decided to stop participating in the crucifixions after next year. Catholic leaders in the Philippines condemn the practice. Updated 1545 GMT (2345 HKT) April 19, 2019. The Catholic Church has largely complied, offering online services, but some around the country participated in their longstanding worship rituals, anyway — albeit wearing masks, face shields, and other protective gear. First-aid personnel are on hand at the events, to help those who collapse from heat and dehydration, or who need their wounds treated. Authorities in the Philippines have said they expect at least 24 penitents to be nailed on the cross on Good Friday. A Philippine Christian devotee is nailed to a cross during a reenactment of the Crucifixion of Christ on Good Friday, ahead of Easter, in San Juan, Pampanga. (Ezra Acayan/Getty Images), Residents are blessed by priests aboard a pickup truck to avoid the spread of [Chinese coronavirus] while commemorating Good Friday on April 2, 2021 in Quezon city, Metro Manila, Philippines. We are encouraging everyone to comply with these rules. CNN's Alice Barnard and Euan McKirdy contributed to this report. The traditional processions of penitence and re-enactments of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ that are usually celebrated with fervor on Good Friday in the Philippines … A portrait of Jesus covers a penitent's face as he carries a cross during a Holy Week ceremony in the northern province of Pampanga in the Philippines. I’m thankful they haven’t gotten sick,” Melvin Devibar, one of those participating in the flagellations, told Reuters. Others, dressed as Roman centurions, aid the voluntary crucifixions. (Ezra Acayan/Getty Images), Some devotees pray outside the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila while church activities are suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two men are hung on crosses during a reenactment of Jesus Christ's sufferings as part of Good Friday rituals in the village of San Pedro Cutud, Pampanga province, northern Philippines, March 30, 2018. Tradition unique to the fact that this the 33rd time Enaje has done this highlight of holiest! 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