Holy Weeks of yore

When I was younger, Holy Week was a very tradition bound week. Growing up in a Catholic family, Holy Week meant more than reliving and recognizing Christ's passion, but really being a part of it.

Back then, there was nothing to do during Holy Week but reflect and repent. From Holy Thursday to Black Saturday, all malls were closed. There was no cable TV back then, so the only programs we could watch were religious programs like "Jesus of Nazareth" starring Robert Powell, "INRI", "Seven Last Words", and a host of other spiritual programs. I remember finding it quite eerie to see so much religion in 3 days.

Then, there were the traditional restrictions that my grandmother would have. During those 3 days, there were a lot of things that we weren't allowed to do. Among these were:

1. No playing, running or jumping.
2. No talking out loud or laughing.
3. No taking of baths after 3pm of Good Friday (because Christ is dead)
4. No outward expressions of happiness

So you can just imagine the amount of gloom and doom in our neighborhood back then. Even if we could meet up with our friends in the neighborhood, all we could do was exchange stories in low voices. That was because ALL our grandparents were equally religious.

Even out of town trips were no escape. If we did spend the Holy Week break in Bicol, the traditions there were much more stringent and eerie. Like the parading of the image of the dead Christ all around our neighborhood in Malinao. Or the pabasa that would ring throughout the night outside Lolo's beach house in Bacacay.

Another thing I remember the most about my Holy Week as a young boy was the "horror" that comes with it. In the province, the talk was that during Holy Week, the demons and headless priests can walk around freely on the streets. That's because Christ is dead, and we're unprotected from evil. I remember being told not to peer outside the window at night, because if you catch a glance of the headless priests, you're done for! These things sound funny now, but back then, I'd believe it hook, line and sinker!

And because of those 3-days of being told not to do a lot of things, the anticipation for Easter Sunday was so much greater. Back then, we'd stay up until midnight and wait for Sunday to come. And when it did, we'd breathe a sigh of relief and start jumping, chattering, and releasing the joy that was held back since Thursday.

Nowadays, Holy Week doesn't feel that "holy" anymore. After all, it's the time when most people go to Boracay, Puerto Galera, and all other beaches in the country. (In my case, it's the time when I usually go abroad. But mind you, I do honor holy week even if I'm in another country.) Some malls are open all throughout the Holy Week. There's cable TV that allows you to still watch "Glee", "Desperate Housewives", "CSI", and whatever other show you like to watch. Call Centers and other businesses continue their operations and are on business-as-usual mode.

Because of all these conveniences, it ceases to feel like Holy Week but just another regular week.

Now that I'm older, I do appreciate the essence of the Holy Weeks of my youth. Despite of how stringent or spooky it was, at least it really captured what those 3 days meant.