With the easing of restrictions in Rizal province under Alert Level 1, some of the Holy Week traditions that were banned since 2020 due to Covid-19 pandemic, have started to resume but in a slightly different way just to comply with the health and safety protocols mandated by the government.
In Binangonan, which is home to the 230-year-old Saint Ursula Parish Church, residents have been queuing outside the Ynares Plaza near the church to view the exhibit of statues of saints that are part of the Holy Week procession.
The statues, from Saint Peter to the Bible characters who were present during the passion and death of Jesus Christ, are owned by prominent families in Binangonan.
Since 2020, processions traditionally held during Holy Wednesday and Good Friday, have been prohibited because the Lenten activity would become a virus spreader event as people tend to group together either as viewers or participants.
Processions, especially on Good Friday, used to last for several hours as the movement of the religious parade passed by the major roads and side streets of the town, with participants holding lighted candles and reciting the Holy Rosary.
The office of Binangonan Mayor Cesar Ynares said local peace and order personnel and village peacekeepers were deployed in the vicinity of the church and the town plaza to ensure that social distancing and other health protocols would be enforced as the Lenten activities tend to attract huge crowds.
In Morong, where the 15th century old Saint Jerome Parish Church is situated, the tradition of holding a festive meal during Holy Thursday after a religious activity known as the “Kordero” has been shelved since 2020, according to parish priest Fr. Joey Bautista.
He instead moved the festive gathering to Sunday morning, right after Easter Sunday’s “Salubong” or the procession of people with the statue of the “Mater Dolorosa”, the weeping Virgin Mary, meeting those who are accompanying the statue of the Risen Christ. The Salubong ritual would be held only inside the church compound this year.
Fr. Bautista told Manila Bulletin that the old traditions have been suited to the present situation following church hierarchy and government’s new policies during the pandemic.
The statue of the dead Christ, locally known as the “Santo Entierro”, is an attraction until before Easter Sunday morning.
At the Transfiguration of Christ Parish Church in Antipolo City, the statue of the Santo Entierro was displayed at the church compound for public viewing following the Good Friday prayer activity.
Although the Diocese of Antipolo bans Holy Week processions and motorcades, residents, however, witnessed anew the Good Friday procession of statues of the Biblical characters as the town’s Iglesia Filipina Independiente, popularly known as the Aglipayan Church, held its Holy Week parade.
In Angono, the “Salubong” and other Easter Sunday traditions will be held also at the church compound. Prior to the pandemic, the activities used to be held in the streets.
Baras residents also viewed the religious images on carrozas (floats) lined up on the roadside just across the municipal hall on Good Friday as no procession was held.
In Cardona, parishioners at the Diocesan Shrine of the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary were able to attend the Good Friday activity. (Nel Andrade)