Good Friday

It has always been our family's tradition to close our businesses on Good Friday and pay tribute to our Lord for his sufferings. After breakfast, we all went to our Parish church in Hagonoy Bulacan (what our family calls "Parong Parong"). We spent our time there getting together with the rest of the Santiago clan, tried to read and sang the "pasyon" and witnessed again the men who wore red cloths on their faces with thorns who walked long distances while hurting their backs with bamboo stilts until they bleed out and then end their journey in front of our church and bathed on the river. My kids cannot stand  watching these so called patrons of this tradition for they cannot stand seeing blood. But they always go with us every year and tried not to be affected. Little by little they understand why some people do this every year. I tried to explain to them that these are some  Filipino traditions that we must accept and respect. People do these for a reason, and reasons that my kids don't understand yet, but I guess in someday they will.

"Pagbasa ng Pasyon"

"Pinitensya"