HOLY WEEK PHOTOGRAPHY: HOLY WEEK RITUALS IN THE PHILIPPINES

I am currently in my home country the Philippines doing some documentary work. I spent the whole week out in the province of Pampanga photographing the Holy Week rituals. The biggest challenge was the heat and humidity, being it’s the beginning of summer here.

During Holy Week, penitents in the Philippines emulate the sufferings of Jesus during to atone for their sins or to pray for their sick love ones. Some carry crosses and some scourge their wounded backs as they make their procession around their villages while stopping at each stations. At each of these stations few devotees sing the  ”Pasyón”, the Philippine epic narrative of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And on Good Friday, in the town of San Pedro Cutud in Pampanga thousands gather to witness nine men as they are crucified to the cross by villagers dressed as Roman Centurions as part of the Good Friday rituals. Ruben Enaje, 51, who plays “Kristo” is among those nine men. According to Enaje, he started doing this in the early 80s as a thanksgiving to God after surviving a fall from a building. He is now on his 26th year of crucifixion.