Nailed to the cross

Good Friday: Philippines disturb with rituals

The Good Friday rituals are traditionally the highlight of the Easter week celebrations in the predominantly Catholic country.

(Bild: Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

In an extreme act of faith, more than a dozen people were once again nailed to crosses on Good Friday in the Philippines. Catholics in the Southeast Asian island state traditionally commemorate the suffering and death of Christ with this ritual and other acts of self-mortification.

Many other participants beat their backs with whips until they were covered in blood. Thousands took part in processions and masses in overcrowded churches.

The Good Friday rituals are traditionally the highlight of the Easter week celebrations in the predominantly Catholic country. The main site of the self-crucifixions is the village of San Pedro Cutud in the province of Pampanga, around 60 kilometers north of the capital Manila. Thousands of onlookers had traveled there to witness how several men had themselves nailed to crosses and remained there for several minutes. But other villages also held such rituals in the heat.

63-year-old Ruben Enaje had himself nailed to the cross for the 35th time.

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The leading role in the Passion Play was once again played by 63-year-old Ruben Enaje - for the 35th time. He will continue the tradition for as long as he is physically able, the grandfather of seven told the German Press Agency (dpa) on the phone beforehand. He carried a 37-kilogram wooden cross almost two kilometers to a hill where the crucifixions took place.

Praying for protection from China
He not only prayed for his family, but also asked for protection for the Philippines, its government and its people, especially in light of the conflict with China over overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea. "China may be bigger than us, but we have the Lord on our side," he said. "Nothing is impossible with God."

In the nearby village of Santa Lucia, a 15-year-old took part in the rituals for the first time - asking for blessings for his mother, who has breast cancer. The teenager beat his back bloody with a whip fitted with bamboo sticks, while his 19-year-old brother carried a wooden cross. "They do this for me," their mother said. "I'm worried about them, but they insisted."

The Catholic Church does not encourage such extreme acts of faith, but does little to stop the practice in the Philippines. "We ask for respect because our tradition does not harm anyone," Enaje said. Easter week is the most important religious festival in the Philippines.