The Beach at Boracay on Good Friday
There seems to be a bit of conflict between the Catholic church - who reminded their flock here in the Philippines that they should spend their Holy week in Church and not on the beach, and where the public want to spend their break- as the picture above shows.
Even Puerto Princessa Tourism stressed the Religious nature of Holy week in this Facebook post:
"As we embark on our vacation during this Lenten season, let us take a moment to reflect on the true meaning of this time. Lent is a time of sacrifice, reflection, and spiritual growth. It is a time to let go of our worldly distractions and focus on our faith and inner selves.
While we enjoy our time off, let us not forget the importance of prayer and self-discipline. Let us use this time to reconnect with our beliefs and strengthen our relationship with God. Let us also remember those who are less fortunate and find ways to give back to our communities. May this Lenten season bring us closer to our spiritual goals and guide us towards a path of righteousness. Let us return from our vacation with a renewed sense of purpose and a deeper appreciation for the blessings in our lives."
I first saw the term Holy Week on Chester's (the dawg) Calendar where it is marked as 6-9 April and Chester ( The hooman) also put it on the TBK planner in the Philippine holidays section. Both then show 9 April ( Chester -the dawg's birthday) as Araw Ng Kagitingan.
So what is Araw Ng Kagitingan and how does Easter in the UK differ from Holy week in the Philippines.
"The Day of Valor, officially known as Araw ng Kagitingan, is a national observance in the Philippines which commemorates the fall of Bataan to Japanese troops during World War II. It falls every April 9"
It was a very sad story and the day commemorates the thousands who lost their lives in terrible conditions at the hands of the Japanese to whom they surrendered.
According to Wikipedia:
"At dawn on April 9, 1942, against the orders of Generals Douglas MacArthur and Jonathan Wainwright, the commander of the Luzon Force, Bataan, Major General Edward P. King, Jr., surrendered more than 76,000 starving and disease-ridden soldiers (64,000 Filipinos, and 12,000 Americans) to Japanese troops.[3] The majority of these prisoners of war had their belongings confiscated before being forced to endure the infamous 140-kilometre (87 mi) Bataan Death March to Camp O'Donnell in Capas, Tarlac. En route, thousands died from dehydration, heat prostration, untreated wounds, and wanton execution while walking in deep dust over vehicle-broken Macadam roads, and crammed into rail cars for transport to captivity.[4]
The few who were lucky enough to travel by truck to San Fernando, Pampanga would still have to endure more than 25 miles (40 km) of additional marching. Prisoners were beaten randomly and often denied promised food and water. Those who fell behind were usually executed or left to die, with the sides of the roads becoming littered with dead bodies and those moaning for help.[5]
Only 54,000 of the 76,000 prisoners (66,000 Filipinos and 10,000 Americans) reached their destination;[6] the exact death toll is difficult to assess because thousands of captives were able to escape from their guards. Approximately 3,000 prisoners may have died during the march, and 25–30,000 more while in captivity.[6][7]
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_Valor ( accessed 8.4.23)
So as you head off to the crowded beached of Boracay and El Nido remember your Kabayan who died to make that possible all those years ago.Strangely , apart from a few Philippine flags on Government Buildings, I did not see any commemoration of this event . Just a few hotels ( Canva and New Camilla) offering Easter Sunday lunch.
I had a lovely Easter message from Jim and Pat McDermott telling me how cold it was in the UK and a long email from my friend Jane Frost who was visiting Garden centres, Gardening and eating Fish and Chips for Easter! We reminisced by email how back in 1990 we would have been wearing our Blue Blazers, Little Chef Ties and Grey trousers /skirts and clearing tables and trying to boost morale in the busiest Little Chef restaurants in the UK at the first really busy weekend in the UK. Sadly here there are no such roadside restaurants so one has to take a flask of coffee and a picnic on long journeys.
Jane also reminded me of another difference between the UK and the Philippines, they have a public holiday on Easter Monday whereas here in Palawan we are back to work/ school. Enjoy your holiday Jane and it was good to hear from you and Jim as usual.
They name everything differently here:
Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Black Saturday and Araw Ng Kagitingan.
The only reason I cold find for it being called Black Saturday was:
"It's called Black Saturday,
Because those who got darker are going home from the beach outing"
Charizz
Back in the UK it is:
Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday/ Monday
In the UK the focus is on Chocolate eggs, easter bunnies and cute Chicks:
Here in the Philippines the focus is on the death of Jesus Christ and his last supper with the disciples. The shops are closed, religious music is played on the radio and the cities fall silent as the workers and students go home to their families in the provinces.
However it appears that not all Catholics in the Philippines spend the Holy week in Church:"TIME FOR REFLECTION, PRAYER
Spend Holy Week in churches, not on beaches – Bishop
CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines — Instead of going to the beach, the Catholic faithful should spend the Lenten break reflecting and praying in church, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said on Sunday.
The prelate said the Holy Week — the most solemn period in the Church’s liturgical calendar when Christians relive the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ over 2,000 years ago — was the best time to renew one’s relationship with God and reflect on the Lord’s sacrifice.
“Once a year, there is such a thing as Holy Week. It’s not that other weeks are unholy. What I want to convey is that the greatest mysteries of our faith are commemorated during the Holy Week,” Palma said in his homily during the Palm Sunday Mass at Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.
The archbishop said he understood people’s desire to take time off and go on a vacation, “but let us not forget the real essence of the Holy Week.”
“Let us ponder upon God’s great love for us — a love manifested through suffering and death,” he added.
Palma called on the people to instead take part in various Church activities to appreciate God’s “all-encompassing love.”
Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1752556/spend-holy-week-in-churches-not-in-beaches-bishop#ixzz7yLBkKG3a
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
Source:https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1752556/spend-holy-week-in-churches-not-in-beaches-bishop ( accessed 9.4.23)
However the latest pictures I saw on Facebook ( Thanks Joven) showed that the faithful were ignoring his advice and flocking to the beaches:
El Nido Town beach on Black Saturday
Why would you be squashed in a van for 5 hrs to be squashed in a beach??
One place I read where they were observing Catholic traditions was at Iwahig ( I guess they cannot get out to the beach!")
"Inmates at the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm (IPPF) have resumed traditional activities inside the penal facility in observance of Holy Week.
The reading of the passion, participation in the liturgical celebration of mass, confession of sins, and walking barefoot for the penitential crucifixion have returned this year inside the penal prison. Prison chaplain Fr. Glenn Parco said that more PDLs were able to participate compared to last year due to the lifting of restrictions on the conduct of spiritual activities."
Well there is one tradition from my family back in the UK that I will uphold here in the Philippines- a family Sunday lunch on Easter Sunday. Back home it was one of the few times we all got together apart from Christmas.
So this year I took two of the girls I sponsor , Jhoanna and Elay and two of the boys who clean my house ( Noel and Frythy) for lunch at the Microtel with Chester ( sorry to Kit and Grecil who are too far away, and to Joven and TJ- no room in the car!). Thanks to Chef Arnel and his team at Senordamla for looking after us so well as usual.
Elay, Noel, Frythy and I at the Microtel for Easter Sunday lunch, Photo by Jhoanna
We all had caramel Bananas for dessert while Jhoanna took Chester for a walk
I was reading the article below last night and it seemed to back up the story I have been telling in the pictures above, which is very sad.
"A WATERSHED has occurred in my generation: religion is now on a steep decline, especially Catholicism whose culture and worldview have dominated this country since the Spanish conquistadores subjugated this archipelago nearly 500 years ago.
And it is during what we call the Holy Week that it becomes obvious that Catholicism is on the way to extinction as a system of beliefs, although many will still cling to its cultural aspects, as there are yet no replacements — weddings, baptism, and even house or office blessings. It is also during Holy Week that one feels religion as still fighting for dear life, as in several newspapers' closure from today till Sunday.
In my youth Holy Friday to Easter Sunday really did feel as if the entire world is mourning the death of God (an absurdity which I found inexplicable) and you can watch on TV only the always-shown-on-Holy-Week "Ten Commandments," "Jesus of Nazareth," with "Ben Hur" the most exciting. Now of course hallelujah you can watch nearly whatever movie or series you want through Netflix and other streaming services.
Just three years ago the Pabasa two blocks from our home kept me awake for several nights. That practice ended with the passing away of the elderly man who financed it. That is one of the reasons for the decline of Catholicism, the old religious generation is passing away, and the new ones aren't really interested in religion."
I am sure there is a similar picture in the UK with fewer and fewer people going to church. I guess one difference in the UK is its too cold to go to the beach. Here in Palawan it hit 33 degrees yesterday.
Today in the UK its only 12 degrees and raining- typical UK Bank Holiday weather:
I just remembered its only Midnight in UK ( 8 am in Palawan) so it will go up to 18 degrees later!
It was interesting to read in the above article that COV 19 may be to blame for less people going to church as during lockdown, worldwide, people of any religion could not go to their place of worship but found other ways to keep their religion alive.
My 12 years in the Middle East showed how true this is for the followers of Islam who pray 5 times a day and only one or two of those might be in a Mosque. In the Oil and Gas Academy where I worked we had male and female prayer rooms and the courses had to be tailored to allow people to pray ( and the prayer times changed daily). Many of my delegates had apps telling them when it was prayer time. If there was not a mosque or prayer room they would pray wherever they were ( Mall, Car park etc)
I hope the blog has been of interest and I have not offended anyone with my observations. As always I would appreciate your feedback.
To all our readers, wherever you are and whatever your religion- Happy Easter!
Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
No comments:
Post a Comment