Holy Week Traditions and Beliefs

The Holy week is coming up and if I am in Philippines, I will be observing it well. Usually, we go to church for a vigil on the night when Christ is dead. That is Good Friday. My parents used to tell me to be careful because Christ is dead. If you get hurt like having wounds, it will take a long time to heal. We believed that and we were so behaved and scared. Maybe Mom told us that for us to be good. Cause for the Holy week, we need to reflect ourselves and ask forgiveness. We even forbid ourselves from doing the fun things for Christ is suffering and we need to at least give up something that we love to do for just a few days. Some people will give up meat, games, and delicious food. So when Good Friday comes, we only have Tabirak or benegnet for food, no meat. It is similar to porridge but with sweet potatoes, banana, coconut milk, jackfruit, corn flour and sugar. We also stay at home and avoid going anywhere. The streets are so quiet and there are only a few businesses which are opened. When Sunday comes, that is the day that we rejoice because it is the day that Christ has risen. People go to church early in the morning and join the people walking around the city proper with flowers in their hands. The flowers come from the bouquet prepared for Christ's rebulto (statue). Only a few can get it so sometimes it creates chaos because they are pushing each other just to get it. They say, the flowers are holy, it can be used to cure diseases if soaked in water and drink it. My Dad used to get some of those flowers and offered it to our altar. We only celebrate that and we don't have Easter Sunday (some do that). Oh I miss it!