Latest news with #Enaje
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Yahoo
Philippines devotees nailed to crosses to re-enact Christ's crucifixion
By Adrian Portugal CUTID, Philippines (Reuters) - Christian devotees from the Philippines were nailed to a cross on Friday in a reenactment of Jesus Christ's crucifixion in the predominantly Catholic nation. Hundreds of Filipinos and foreign tourists flocked to the northern village of San Pedro Cutud in Pampanga province to witness Ruben Enaje nailed to the cross and portray Christ for the 36th time in an annual devotional display. Two other devotees joined him in re-enacting the crucifixion. Actors dressed as Roman soldiers hammered Enaje's palms with two-inch nails. Ropes and fabric supported their bodies as they were raised on wooden crosses. "The first five seconds were very painful. As time goes and the blood goes down, the pain numbs and I can stay on the cross longer," Enaje, 64, said in an interview. Around 80% of the Philippines' 110 million people identify as Roman Catholics. The rituals form part of Holy Week, which spans from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday and is one of the most sacred and solemn periods in the Philippines' religious calendar. During Holy Week, some devotees flog their backs repeatedly with bamboo whips in an act of self-flagellation to seek penance and atonement. The Catholic Church has discouraged the practice, saying prayers and sincere repentance are enough to commemorate Lent.
Reuters
18-04-2025
- Reuters
Philippines devotees nailed to crosses to re-enact Christ's crucifixion
CUTID, Philippines, April 18 (Reuters) - Christian devotees from the Philippines were nailed to a cross on Friday in a reenactment of Jesus Christ's crucifixion in the predominantly Catholic nation. Hundreds of Filipinos and foreign tourists flocked to the northern village of San Pedro Cutud in Pampanga province to witness Ruben Enaje nailed to the cross and portray Christ for the 36th time in an annual devotional display. Two other devotees joined him in re-enacting the crucifixion. Actors dressed as Roman soldiers hammered Enaje's palms with two-inch nails. Ropes and fabric supported their bodies as they were raised on wooden crosses. "The first five seconds were very painful. As time goes and the blood goes down, the pain numbs and I can stay on the cross longer," Enaje, 64, said in an interview. Around 80% of the Philippines' 110 million people identify as Roman Catholics. The rituals form part of Holy Week, which spans from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday and is one of the most sacred and solemn periods in the Philippines' religious calendar. During Holy Week, some devotees flog their backs repeatedly with bamboo whips in an act of self-flagellation to seek penance and atonement. The Catholic Church has discouraged the practice, saying prayers and sincere repentance are enough to commemorate Lent.
Arab News
18-04-2025
- Arab News
Philippines devotees nailed to crosses to re-enact Christ's crucifixion
CUTUD, Philippines: Christian devotees from the Philippines were nailed to a cross on Friday in a reenactment of Jesus Christ's crucifixion in the predominantly Catholic nation. Hundreds of Filipinos and foreign tourists flocked to the northern village of San Pedro Cutud in Pampanga province to witness Ruben Enaje nailed to the cross and portray Christ for the 36th time in an annual devotional display. Two other devotees joined him in re-enacting the crucifixion. Actors dressed as Roman soldiers hammered Enaje's palms with two-inch nails. Ropes and fabric supported their bodies as they were raised on wooden crosses. 'The first five seconds were very painful. As time goes and the blood goes down, the pain numbs and I can stay on the cross longer,' Enaje, 64, said in an interview. Around 80 percent of the Philippines' 110 million people identify as Roman Catholics. The rituals form part of Holy Week, which spans from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday and is one of the most sacred and solemn periods in the Philippines' religious calendar. During Holy Week, some devotees flog their backs repeatedly with bamboo whips in an act of self-flagellation to seek penance and atonement. The Catholic Church has discouraged the practice, saying prayers and sincere repentance are enough to commemorate Lent.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Yahoo
Bloody Philippine passion play sees final performance of veteran 'Jesus'
Scores of penitents whipped themselves bloody under a scorching Philippine sun while others were nailed to crosses in a polarising Good Friday tradition drawing the most extreme of Catholic devotees. The macabre spectacle, officially frowned on by the Church, attracts thousands of Filipinos -- and a smattering of tourists -- each Easter weekend to sites across Asia's only majority Catholic nation. In Pampanga province, two hours north of Manila, 64-year-old Ruben Enaje was nailed to a cross for the 36th time on Friday. Minutes after the nails were gingerly removed from his palms, he told reporters it would be for the last time. "I really can't do it anymore. They had to aim portable fans at me earlier just for me to breathe normally," Enaje said, after temperatures reached 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit). In an unscripted moment, Enaje had tumbled down an embankment while navigating the narrow path to the cross after being "pushed a bit harder than usual" by a man playing a Roman soldier. He told reporters he had felt "dizzy" while walking to the venue, needing to rest for 30 minutes before reaching the site. He has hinted at retirement in the past, and this year local officials finally introduced his successor: Arnold Maniago, a veteran of 24 crucifixions. Maniaco conceded he was "a little nervous" about taking on the role of Jesus. - More than penance - Among the procession, men with their faces covered by bandanas rhythmically whipped themselves as they walked towards the cross. But the flails, tipped with bamboo shards, rarely produce the desired blood. An older man showed AFP a small wooden paddle embedded with sharp glass he used on the backs of penitents to make it flow. Children trailed many of the processions. A boy no more than eight years old lightly flailed the back of a shirtless man lying in the road. Mark Palma, whose back was raw and smeared with blood, said flagellation was more than an act of penance. The 30-year-old told AFP he had spent half his life taking part in the flagellation ritual as a way of praying for his sister born with a heart defect. "She'll be going through an operation this year, she has a hole in her heart," he said. "I'm praying for her to be healed. I want the operation to be successful." Raymond Ducusin, 31, said he began taking part in 2022 when his parents developed health issues. Though his father passed away, he had no plans to stop. "I want to commemorate his legacy through this. I still believe in miracles," Ducusin said. Officials said about 10,000 people attended Good Friday events in Pampanga. More than 50 foreign tourists who had purchased special passes viewed the proceedings from under a tent. David, a 45-year-old from New York City, said he and his partner had planned their holiday to attend the crucifixions. "To see something born at the community level that's still vibrant... most religious affiliation and sentiment in the West is pretty much fading away and here, it's still incredibly visceral," he said. cwl/dhw
