"Lenten Season in the Philippines, Amidst the Pandemic"

 Kwaresma is Lent. It is the season when Filipinos remember Christ’s passion (his suffering and death) and resurrection. It starts on Ash Wednesday, forty days before Easter Sunday. On this day, you will see Catholic Filipinos returning from church with ash smudged on their foreheads in the shape of a cross.  If you don’t have the mark, you will be asked if you have attended Mass. Semana Santa (Holy Week) is from Palm Sunday to Black Saturday, then Easter Sunday. It is traditionally a solemn occasion in the Philippines, a time for serious atonement.

Holy Week is when many people perform holy rites in fulfillment of a vow they made when they asked God a favor, such as a cure for an illness. Priests and religious statues are dressed in purple to symbolize gloom. Devout Catholics go to church everyday; some fast. Palm Sunday commemorates the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. Following the Spanish tradition, Filipino Catholics bring palaspas (palm fronds) to church to be blessed by the priests; then they bring the fronds back home with them.

For most of the week, especially after Tuesday, the towns are eerily quiet with TV and radio stations going off the air and no loud noises or revelry whatsoever. Catholics stop eating meat, turning to fish, and the more devout ones go on a completely liquid diet. The traditional pabasa (the “reading” or chanting of verses about the suffering of Christ) starts on Sunday and ends on Maundy Thursday, which is the day when the washing of the feet is celebrated. Many activities are held each year, and is a big part of our Filipino culture.

Although the pandemic has hindered the Lenten Season, it doesn't mean that Filipinos don't celebrate it in their own way. Their faith in the Lord will always remain strong, especially in these trying times. As Lenten Season being a big part of our culture, devote Christians found ways to hold mass celebrations online, and by listening to radios at home, to avoid spreading the virus.

References:

• https://www.tagaloglang.com/holy-week-in-the-philippines/
• https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2791/4884/articles/Season_of_Lent_1600x.jpg?v=1582251804