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Growing up, my brothers and I would spend our summer vacations in Bicol - two months in San Jose (at a time when there were no phone lines, cellular phones or internet). Summers were spent under the sun, on the streets and in the most low-tech ways possible - yet, they were always amazing.
The highlight of our stay would be the Holy Week festivities - going with the processions, watching the caros, the sayos and the rest of the faithful. But the best part would be the production number of the Seven Last Words at the church.I wanted Tom to see all of this - it would be his first Holy Week back home in 19 years.
I have never really gone on any other Holy Week procession other than the one in San Jose, so I cannot compare this experience with anything else. But, I have heard that this parish does something a little bit more special. With the help of the families that have been in charge of the festivities over the years, the community comes together to reenact the scene on Good Friday. A mountain made out of ferns and other greens are put together to carry the Cross of Christ, the thieves , the soldiers and the Blessed Mother. Ladies and gentlemen from the town volunteer to stand still in the heat throughout the Seven Last Words until the moment that Christ dies at three in the afternoon. This year, the church courtyard was packed with people. We couldn't make our way to the front - but at three, we heard the "rumbling of thunder" (I think it was a motorcycle) and saw the bursts of fire coming from the mountain.The procession in the evening is no different - the Way of the Cross comes alive with the commitment of those that strike the pose of their station throughout the whole procession. Rain or shine, people walk throughout the procession. Rain or shine, the actors hold their pose - as Christ carrying his cross, as Veronica wiping His face, as Simon helping the Lord. An amazing act of dedication, love and faith for everyone involved.
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