Lentorama 2019: Resurrect My Globe!

Day 17: The Phillipines

As a largely Catholic country with roots in Spain, it shouldn't be a surprise that Easter celebrations in many ways reflect the Semana Santa found throughout the Latin world. That being said, it's not hard to find traditions that are distinctly Filipino. And distinctly extreme.

On the less extreme side is a festival celebrating Longinus, the Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus with a lance. The story goes that Longinus was blind in one eye, but when a drop of blood from the lance wound got into that eye it regained sight. The festival has people dressing up as Roman soldiers (with brightly decorated masks and helmets), and culminates in Longinus himself going on the run to escape the people dressed as Roman soliders, hiding in houses and trying to lose himself in the crowd.

Which is all fun and games compared to the people who have themselves crucified. The Catholic Church officially denounced this as a form of worship, but it doesn't dissuade people from getting nailed to a cross as a sign of piety, to repay a prayer that was answered, or as penance. 

The practice is most associated with the province of Pampanga, which started hosting a Passion play in the 1950s. At some point some attendees thought it a good idea to add various mortifications to their trip (whipping themselves, making the journey in bare feet and/or carrying a life-size cross), which eventually led to actual crucifixions in the 1960s.