In the Philippines, there is pageantry for Easter. People dress up as Roman guards and various Biblical characters. It' primarily about hard penance. Penitents walk barefoot or crawl through the streets, some self-flagellating with bamboo and sticks until their backs are raw with scarlet and blood. This all happens on the way to a makeshift Calvary, where the special participants are hammered to a wooden cross with thick nails that have been soaked in alcohol and left to hang there for spectators for around ten minutes.
The catholic discourages the practice.
The catholic discourages the practice.
Perhaps, no one is as passionate as the Spanish for the Easter parade and pageantry. From the largest cities to the smallest villages, semana santa, is a big deal. Catholic confraternities engage in multi-day parades through the streets wearing painted-hood cloaks . They also carry floats heaving with a baroque assemblage of flowers, efigies, candles and statues, of Mary and Jesus.
Many Christians take a trip to Jerusalem to visit the site where the Biblical events around the Easter celebrations is framed. On Holy Thursday many visit Mount Zion, where the Last Supper is said to have taken place