It's Holy Week that reminds me so much of Dumaguete. I can always remember the hot summer days that begin the same time as Lent. The merciless sun bearing down on those lazy afternoons that find me and my siblings just sitting at home and watching religious movies on the TV.
I recall the countless times we'd be watching The Ten Commandments or Ben Hur on Good Friday. I get the feeling that watching those movies made me feel a little "religious". Then in the afternoon, we'd go out of the house and watch the Good Friday procession brought by the people in the neighborhood. I was always fascinated by the way the people on our street re-enacted the Passion. It's like they were atoning for a year's worth of sins.
Of course, there'd be no meat in the house at all. It'd be fish and Takoy's adobong itlog. I'd always get a hankering for adobong itlog around this time.
At any rate, Easter and Holy week down under is a different proposition. To most Australians, it's the start of school holidays and a long weekend. Australia is not exactly a religious country so Holy Week doesn't mean a standstill of the economy and life like in the Philippines. Of course, Good Friday and Easter Sunday and Monday are still holidays but there's not the deserted empty streets or the via cruxis across the entire city. Not too many Catholics around these here parts but there's still a lot to keep traditions alive.
Last night we went to the Easter vigil mass, something that my own family would do in Dumaguete as well. The kids were mostly cooperative because we made sure they had their naps that afternoon. What was encouraging to see were the many kids who attended the mass with their parents. The church doesn't get filled up too often. Mostly it's BCE. Baptism, Christmas and Easter. :)
Anyway, it's Easter Sunday now. Time to go out and look for those eggs!
1 comment:
Aaaahh, adobong itlog. hehe. I miss those Canday-ong days.
You captured what i was exactly feeling, manong. Those were one of my favorite holy week memories.
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