In all of the religious traditions in the Philippines, nothing is as brutal and self-contradicting as the penitensiya. For almost a century, Kapampangans observe this annual religious tradition by reenacting the Passion of Christ through the imitation of Christ’s suffering. It has been a familiar sight for locals and a fascinating one for tourists who wish to witness the violent view of repentance and devotion. The irony, however, is that despite religious faith being the basis of penitensiya, the Church itself has overtly condemned the practice ever since.
Images: Alex R. Castro
Holy Week traditions in the Philippines traces its roots to 14th century Europe, where flagellations and other forms of religious penance started to spread in Catholic nations [1]. The Philippines has been one of the countries that adopted the tradition; although the practice of crucifixion was only added in 1961 when Artemio Anosa willingly sacrificed himself to be nailed (instead of just tied) on the cross. This has been known as the first actual crucifixion in the country. While other parts of the world have contested such practices later on based on their unethical and certainly fatal nature, the Philippines has mainly kept the tradition alive since its first appearance.
Image: Anril Tiatco
During Mal A Aldo (a Kapampangan phrase that translates to Holy Week and literally means “Important/Holy Days”), religious penance takes on different forms and takes place in different parts of the province. It ranges from flagellations (which can be sighted as early as Holy Tuesday) to crucifixions (which take place on Good Friday in Cutud). Despite the many sub-traditions that vary from place to place, it is undeniable that the central theme in most of these religious practices is suffering, or the submission to pain for the sake of atonement.
The ascribed meaning of this ‘purposeful’ suffering is not far from the one in the original act. Flagellations were evocative of Christ’s flogging and the crucifixion was imitative of Christ’s nailing on the cross (minus, of course, the death and resurrection). Ultimately though, both sufferings are symbolic of one thing: redemption. Christ’s suffering is widely interpreted as the redeeming of humanity, while on the other hand, the suffering undertaken by the self-flagellants is a way of redeeming themselves.
Still, that is only one of the many reasons why ritual actors willingly submit themselves to extreme suffering. For devotees like Ruben Enaje, participation in these holy week traditions is a way of expressing gratitude (commonly for a relative who recovered from a life-threatening illness or a convict who wanted a clean slate) and petitioning for a better life. For others, it has become a part of their pledge (or panata, as they call it) to reaffirm their faith in God. Either way, suffering is seen as a sacrifice; a transcendental experience that would help them meditate on the suffering of Christ by literally going through what Jesus went through during the last moments of his life.
Image: news.kuwaittimes.net
Aside from the physical, a psychological take is also warranted in examining the penitensiya. According to Zialcita’s Popular Interpretation of the Passion of Christ, all ritual participants “claim having a light, happy feeling” during the execution of these otherwise brutal traditions. This feeling of trance-like elation after experiencing a near-death experience is apparently common among flagellants and ritual-nailers as well. An interesting example for this would be Lucia, a ritual-nailer herself, who denies that she passes out on the cross despite many Lenten observers including her own uncle attesting to it.
As mentioned earlier, the practice of these religious traditions has been widely contested even by members of the clergy. According to them, the only acceptable way to manifest penance is through reconciliation between the devotee and a priest. Interestingly, the continued prevalence of the annual rituals prove that devotees would rather opt for self-inflicted pain instead of the less brutal method endorsed by the Church. What is most amusing, however, is the fact that this decision was actually influenced by them, if not based on the notion of suffering taught by no other than the Church itself.
In retrospect, penitensiya also reflects a lot about Philippine society and the values it deems important. Among those are utang na loob or debt of gratitude, damayan or mutual sharing (of in this case suffering), and lastly debosyon or the devotion to one’s faith. In a way, these Holy Week traditions represent the close and complex intertwining of tradition, religion, and values in an annual collective event.
To say the least, the penitensiya is indicative of our view of suffering as a transcendent and in some ways justified experience. Many people have seen the problematic aspect of that both from the medical perspective (it is, after all, self-harm) and the socio-political perspective (suffering caused by social problems becomes justified). Yet, despite backlash from institutions including the Church, flagellants and ritual-nailers continue to surface during the Lenten season. To understand this, it is essential to see from the ethnographic perspective where the bottom line is that tradition, religion, and values have the common tendency to outlast and run deeper than reason.
About the author
Katrina Balingit, 19, is a 1st year Literature student from Ateneo de Manila University. Her interests include food, foreign language, and film. She enjoys reading about culture and politics, cooking traditional local cuisine, and watching historical documentaries. In her free time, she likes to play video games and listen to mainstream music. She says that sitcoms are the superior TV genre and that second-hand bookstores should be saved. She currently lives in a small neighborhood in Magalang, Pampanga where she grew up.
Comments