Karidad and kalamay: Memories of Lent A panata served and shared with others

Filipinos believe in the sanctity of panata, which has come to mean a pact with God to perform a good deed in return for a prayer or wish that was granted. It could take the form of a novena, joining the Black Nazarene procession, building a church, or praying the rosary while walking on one’s knees from the church door to the altar. During Holy Week, a popular form of panata among Filipino Catholics is public self-flagellation, with some penitents even walking the streets wearing a crown of thorns. Others go to the extent of having themselves crucified on wooden crosses using steel nails. Karidad feeds all Easily the most welcome and widely practiced Holy Week panata is karidad, Tagalog for charity. It involves giving free food to total strangers during Holy Week. Sometimes the food is offered to passers-by right in front of the donor’s home. More often, tables are set up near the church plaza or along the main road leading to a place of worship. There is no discrimination in karidad, everyone is fed: -- tourists ogling the penitents, churchgoers doing Visita Iglesia, the devout waiting for processions to start. Colorful summer treats There are no strict rules about what to serve during karidad, except for the no-meat prohibition. Through the years, however, karidad kitchens seemed to agree to serve one dish: ginatang bilo-bilo, also known as alpahor, or binignit in the Visayas. Some Tagalogs also know it as ginatang halo-halo, perhaps because its colorful ingredients resemble the iced concoction halo-halo. To maximize color, camote of various hues are used, along with purple yam (ube), yellow jackfruit (langka), white taro (gabi), orange saba banana slices, and multi-colored tapioca (sago) pearls. A luxury topping is toasted pinipig, available only during rice harvest Karidad and Kalamay... season. Another special finishing touch is a dollop of pure coconut milk stirred into the steaming bowl of ginatan. Practical and rich Ginatan is the perfect dish to serve to a crowd during Lent. It is easy to prepare, the ingredients are in season, and its rich flavor breaks the monotony of abstinence-frommeat meals throughout the season. Other advantages: it is easy to serve and does not require a fork or knife to eat. Just ladle a cupful into a bowl and eat with a spoon. Although ginatan contains coconut milk, its sugar content keeps it from spoiling in the summer heat. Kalamay from leftovers I always looked forward to our neighbor’s kalamay, available only on Black Saturday. What made it rare and special? It was from leftover ginatan thickened with additional pinipig and coconut milk, stirred in a kawali over low heat until almost solid. Everyone took turns stirring constantly to prevent the formation of tutong (burnt crust) that would make it taste bitter. It was a kalamay like no other. Over the years, I tried many times to make kalamay from scratch using a ginatan recipe, but could not capture the taste. My grandma was right, there was an ingredient missing in my recipe: panata. For example, if a man suffers from a terminal disease like cancer, he will promise God that he will make a panata if he gets cured. When a miracle happens and he is cured, he will perform a panata during Holy Week, usually on Good Friday. The place in the Philippines most famous for this serious devotion is arguably Barangay San Pedro Cutud in the city of San Fernando in Pampanga province.