A Good Friday Celebration

A Good Friday Celebration In many countries of the world that celebrate Easter, we think of dressing in our best clothes and going to church to pass our respects to Christ. If not Catholic or Christian, we think of a nice peaceful day with bunnies, Easter Egg Hunts for the kids, and a nice day to barbeque with family and friends. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world in a small country made up of thousands of islands is Philippines, a country that contains a majority of uneducated religious people, mostly Catholics and Christians, whom celebrate Easter in a much more traditional sense: through crucifixion re-enactments. This annual celebration of the death of Christ merges traditions of the Catholic Church with Filipino folk superstitions. So why do Filipinos go against the church wishes to emulate the crucifixion when religion is clearly a major role in their lives? Many of the people participate for penance, others as a sign of sacrifice for their prayers to God, some to honor their vow they made to themselves and God, and others just for the experience whilst the church objects and cry out in objections of corporal punishment. Unfortunately for the church, tradition trumps the advice of the bishop and church leaders annually.
Months before the scheduled re-enactments of the crucifixion begins, many of the participants will start forging their own three-inch, stainless steel nails (as seen from the photo on the on the bottom left, above, taken in 2011). The nails appear to frame the man’s face whose eyes looked glazed over and his overall appearance to be burdened with years of suffering. The points of the nails show the sharpness of the object, exposing the man’s tolerance for physical discomfort. The photo taken by Erik de Castro, captured the devotion and the man’s grub work for his chance to show his God his faith through his own crucifixion during Good Friday.
In the early morning of Good Friday, thousands of people in the Philippines get ready