Last weekend was Easter in the Philippines... Easter is part of Holy Week. It is like a Christmas atmosphere. It's a time for family reunion. Some people take days off just to visit their families and relatives. Holy Thursday and Good Friday are holidays in this country where 80 percent of the population is Catholic. Easter traditions in the Philippines are focused on faith. Following the Stations of the Cross is among the rituals observed. The stations of the cross are 14 prayers said before a series of 14 images representing Jesus' path to his crucifixion and death. On Thursday people go and visit the church, they begin to meditate on this day. On Friday, the Passion play is re-enacted. In rural areas, some people use crowns of thorns and are beaten or "crucified" to show their devotion to Christ. It's crazy but it's true. This is not common though in the cities.
In my family, we are all Baha'is, and as such we don't participate in the Holy Week observance. But some non-Baha'i relatives do and also my friends and their families. One custom Filipinos do is the Easter egg hunt, the Americans influenced us with this. Some stores offer or sell sweets and goodies that come with an Easter Egg Hunt and Easter baskets. And the kids love these...See photos below of the Easter goodies.
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