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I am spending the Lenten season with my family. Our preparations usually involve visiting other relatives, alive and deceased. It’s mostly spent collectively, from our prayers, during online masses and in cemetery visits. Nothing changed much in our routines, as we couldn’t give up digital media usage because our livelihood and academics heavily depended on electronics. We instead vowed to eat healthier, encouraging each other to exchange junk foods into more nutritious items and incorporating more vegetables and fruits in our meals. We have always visited churches for Visita Iglesia save for the past 2 years, and this is the first time in a while that we plan to actually visit churches once again. These routines of ours, although quite mundane, only solidified my belief that everything is made better when you know you’re not alone in doing it. I really look forward to venturing to Padre Pio, Sta. Rita and other churches again with my loved ones.

JULIANA BONEO

1-BAPSY

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I would say my family isn’t a typical Filipino household—we don’t pressure each other to attend the mass together and everyone is free to decide on their Sunday plans. During the Holy Week, we don’t necessarily have a set of rules or traditions we adhere to. I do observe that my grandparents don’t eat nor serve our family meals that consist of meat, and throughout the Holy Week we tend to eat fish or chicken and other variants.

Since this is a predominantly Christian country, the Holy Week is observed even in media, specifically in televisions. My family tends to watch the specials and the film showing of the Passion of the Christ in our living room.  We would get together and share our time to remember Jesus and His sacrifice. Overall, the Holy Week isn’t a revered event for us but it gave us the opportunity to get together and reflect.

Rasha Lazaro
1-BAPSY

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During the Lenten season, my family used to go to the province when I was a child. They said that we should go somewhere away from the city to somehow distance ourselves from the things that we normally do such as work. Whenever we go to the province, we practice being quiet and not do much tasks just to reflect on the things that we are doing. We also avoid eating meat and since we are in the province, it is more feasible for us to do fasting there.

It has been years since the last time we went home during the lenten season. This is due to the sudden circumstances that we experience during the season. To suffice, whenever we can’t go to the province, we do Visita Iglesia and the same things such as practicing the stations of the cross wherein my yearly task would be to lead this annual practice. We still avoid eating meat during the season, and we tend to watch movies that depict the life of Christ. I also observed that during the Holy Week, there are barely any noises and people outside, so it really gives us a sense of silence to reflect on a lot of things.

I remember being enthusiastic during Palm Sundays when I was a child. My parents described this mass to me as a “welcoming” of Christ.

- Hermione Oliveros
1 BAPSY

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The Lenten season is a time for me to contemplate and pray in order to develop my spirituality and relationship with Jesus.  On the other hand, I generally observe two important virtues during this time of year: mercy and compassion. I usually achieve these virtues by isolating myself from any adverse circumstances so that I can rest, which means avoiding or putting aside whatever is bothering me, or prioritizing my family over running errands.

As previously mentioned, the Lenten season is one of the most eventful seasons for our family, thus I spend the most of my time with them. We normally plan everything we'll do during this season months in advance because it's really important for our entire family to spend this time together. We also have yearly practices that we partake in. Visita Iglesia (visiting churches from various locations) and outreach initiatives are some of these practices.

Alyssa Odulio
1-BAPSY

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Growing up, my family isn't religiously strict but we still practice such common Catholic traditions during Holy Week. We usually attend mass for Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday.

The whole family would go out of town as well since most adults are off for the holiday which means we also have time to visit our grandmother. She usually cooks vegetable dishes for us because we are avoiding meat. I always see it as a great time to spiritually bond and catch up with my relatives.

Caroline Triño
I-BAPSY

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Lenten Season for our family is an eventful season, we plan a whole itinerary for the Churches we'd visit. Do the way of the cross and then go to mass on Easter. Not just that but we also plan our menu for the whole season, making sure meat is not served. My favorite is Easter Sunday really, because it's the only day that we require each other to wake up in the morning to eat breakfast (in the same time normal people do), it's also the first day we'd eat meat together. It also became a tradition that our  Easter breakfast would always be Bulalo. We are not a religious family, but this is the only season we seem to be one.

Patricia Valentin
1BAPSY

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During my childhood, my family and I were fond of Holy Week and we always had unique ways of celebrating Lenten Season. As family-oriented individuals, it is important to us that we celebrate Holy Week as a whole. We even reach far heights just to make our Holy Week extra special and our frequented place is Tagaytay. Our practices include Bisita Iglesia which is the praying with the seven stations of the cross and visit different places to pray. We go to at least 3 churches in Tagaytay and everyone should take turns in leading the prayer. After the Bisita Iglesia, we go back home to our rest house and continue our activities there. My most favorite is Easter Sunday and the night before it wherein we all stay up late, painting our boiled eggs and the adults will hide them tomorrow morning as the kids find them. I like this particular activity because it brings us together and it is so exciting because every year of Easter is different from before. My least favorite activity would be the abstinence from meat during Good Friday, although I know that it is a penitential practice of Catholics that symbolizes how Jesus sacrificed his flesh for us. In light of this, I still abide by this practice and only eat fish and vegetables during this period. Whenever I accidentally eat meat during Fridays, I compensate by praying a lot. The entirety of our celebration of Holy Week is fun, however, due to the pandemic, we weren't able to meet with our relatives and didn't get to travel to far places. We had changes in our routines and had to go our own ways for now, but our unity and bond with God will remain forever in our hearts.

Baguisa, Gabrielle Clare I.
Section 1 - BAPSY

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The Lenten Season is a time when people remember Jesus Christ's sufferings and death. Throughout the Lenten season, we normally engage in traditional things like prayer, fasting, thanksgiving and so on. My family always honored and celebrated the Lenten season while I was growing up. Our house would often host the “Pabasa”. The Lenten Season is a time when people remember Jesus Christ's sufferings and death. Throughout the Lenten season, we normally engage in traditional things like prayer, fasting, thanksgiving and so on. We also observe two key virtues during this season. My family always honored and celebrated the Lenten season while I was growing up. The "Pabasa" would usually visit our home. Jesus Christ died on the cross thus that we could all be free of sin and live our best lives. Lent is an opportune time to express our gratitude for his efforts and to reflect that he did not die. Lent allows us to become more intimate with God, the church, and our families. My family has always taken Lent very seriously, w e try to go to mass together as often as possible; back then, we would go church hopping and pray. Then, we end our Lenten season with Easter.  During Easter Sunday we have this replica of Maria Alegria. They would use our replica for “salubong” where Christ had risen and his resurrection.

Lorraine Abesames

BAPSY

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I graduated high school from a Catholic institution, so I grew up practicing abstinence and doing the Stations of the Cross within the school and with my classmates. At the time, I remember the school canteen only serving either seafood or vegetables during lunch breaks and the teachers reminding us of the importance of the Lenten Season.

Before the pandemic, my family and I celebrated Holy Week by participating in Bisita Iglesia and the Stations of the Cross. My parents usually lead the prayers until me and my sibling were old enough to lead prayers and offer intentions of our own. But with the current pandemic, we haven't been able to do these practices again. Instead we stay at home and offer prayers for safety and protection. Hopefully we'll be able to integrate these practices again as the country eases on restrictions.

Felice Cruz
BAPSY, Section 1

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Me and my family just usually engage fasting procedures. As much as possible we avoid consuming any meat related other than fish or greens. Aside from host prayer sessions the house where we pray and reflect on what has been going on through in our lives.

-Juliane Eisley M. Enriquez BAPSY Section 1

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Every year, we always do the same traditions for Holy Week. First is fasting, we avoid eating any kind of meat other than fish and only eat vegetables. Though we're not exactly strict in following the practice of Bisita Iglesia, there were still a few times in the past when we completed our visits to 7 churches. But before that, we attended mass on Palm Sunday and brought our palaspas to be blessed during the mass. I also remember how they always aired Holy Week specials on T.V. to teach kids along with their families some valuable lessons.

Raneniab Urban
1 BAPSY 💜

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Being born in a highly religious family, it became a tradition for us to strictly follow usual practices done by Catholics during Holy Week. We usually fast and avoid eating any type of meat except fish. During this time, we take our time as a family to repent on our sins and reflect on our past behaviors and surrender everything to the Lord. We also do Bisita Iglesia and visit as many new churches as we can. Doing Bisita Iglesia will always be my favorite thing during the Lenten season. I was told that when visiting new churches, it is good to make three wishes because once you wish for something, God will do everything to make that wish come true. That practice stuck with me as I grew older and the only time that I can visit new churches and make wishes is during Bisita Iglesia.

Unfortunately, with COVID-19 happening and the various levels of restrictions, doing Bisita Iglesia for the past years has been impossible to do. With the current situation, we celebrate the Lenten season at home, attend mass in front of the television screen, and have prayer sessions together. However, we are hoping and praying that the COVID situation will be much better soon so all of us can finally celebrate and do Bisita Iglesia again.

Jermaine L. Paredes
1BAPSY

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Growing up, my family has always been very religious. We participated in the church's activities as much as we could because this is our way of showcasing our faith.

We attend the mass during Ash Wednesdays and proudly show off the ashes on our forehead. We would also bring "palaspas" to celebrate the return of Jesus. Pre pandemic, we would visit 7 churches to pray. Some of the churches we visited were Pink Sisters, Our Lady of Manaoag Church, St. Peter's Church, and several more. This practice is commonly known as Visita Iglesia. Besides that, I remember my parents fasting during the Holy Week and avoiding meat. We only ate fish and vegetables during those times as we wait for the resurrection of Jesus on Sunday. We also watch movies that portray what Jesus went through in His short yet meaningful life. As a family, we would also take our time to reflect on our faith and strengthen it. We also pray the most during those days.

This year, I hope that the COVID cases do not rise anymore in hopes of bringing back our family's tradition to participate in the Visita Iglesia. However, we also can engage in our homes by praying and reflecting.

- Mari Krislaine D. Syhap
BAPSY

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My family and I are very religious. We would pray the stations of the cross at Saint Pio Chapel in Bagumbayan Quezon City, join the procession of Santo Entierro on Good Fridays, Visita Iglesia on Wednesdays, and participate in almsgiving. Most of us also observe fasting and abstinence.

Maie Principe
1-BAPSY

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During Lenten season, my family and other relatives continuously do religious practices. We would create an itinerary to visit the different churches from our hometown in Batangas. My uncles and aunties usually prepare our prayer books, rosaries, and candles. Most of my cousins and grandparents initiate to lead the prayer for the stations of the cross. My parents are assigned to give an offering in a sealed envelope whenever we write our special intentions and extend our deepest gratitude. Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, fasting, abstaining from meat, and repentance are on the priority list too. Despite the pandemic, we found multiple ways to connect with God while prioritizing safety measures. I'm grateful that they're alive and I pray for their safety as well. Attending mass on-site or virtual should be prioritized, replenishing our faith could help us redirect from the right path and receive spiritual guidance from Him.

- Ma. Bernadeth R. Britania 1BAPSY

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Upholding traditions through unity in the family: An observance during Holy Week

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Upholding traditions through unity in the family: An observance during Holy Week

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During Holy Week, my family and I do our best to exercise fasting. Not only that but we do our best in abstaining from consuming any meat and eating healthier options like vegetables or seafood. Around this time, I almost always find my father in the kitchen sautéing some vegetables in butter or olive oil for us to have something to eat as a family. As food is something that we value and is important in our lives, we also thank God for such blessings through prayers we offer up to Him. I believe that our grandmother has been the most influential when it comes to following religious traditions. She put emphasis on the importance of prayer, most especially with a bible and rosary by our sides. We read through bible verses together as a family, and our voices just speak in unity as we profess our faith in Him. It’s mostly an exchange of responses and we take turns with being the host speaker, and we try our best to really be in God’s presence this time. Lastly, attending mass is also a must as we not just observe Holy Week as a family, but we put importance in celebrating this week with our brothers and sisters, most especially with the community, the church.

Marley Felice A. Fonseca
BAPSY - Section 1

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During Lenten season, my Mom and grandmother would prepare our menu for the week.  Sotanghon, Lumpiang hubad, Pakbet, and Labahita (tinolang isda) are few of the dishes they cook during Holy Week. Before the pandemic, our usual spots for Visita Iglesia are Pink Sisters, San Antonio de Padua, Santa Clara, and the Nativity.  We start at 8am because it is calm and cold during the morning. My mom printed all the readings and necessary prayers needed per stop. It is compiled in a short brown envelope and each family is assigned to a particular station. To finish an early time of prayer, we head to a restaurant with an overlooking view to enjoy the peace and escape from the crowded streets of Marikina. At home, we turn on the television and watch "The Bible" or movies related to the Lenten season as we eat dinner and discuss about Jesus' sacrifices and love for his fellow people.

Braeden Gian Dale C. Simeon
BAPSY - Section 1

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Ever since, my family have been keen in observing the Holy Week. My mom would always remind us that it is a significant time for us to repent from our sins, and reflect on what Christ has done to lead people to salvation. We are not strict in following the practices, but we observe it with devotional approach. We still fast by abstaining from meat the entire week. During this time, we only consume fish and vegetables. Sometimes, we would go to our province during this season and stay there for a while. I enjoy it very much as a I get to catch up with my cousins and other close relatives. Even as a Christian, I also join my family in attending the holy mass during Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday. It has been our annual tradition to go together. Personally, I engage in object fast by taking time off social media and using the time to commune with God in a variety of ways. Overall, the Lent is a time to build our intimacy with the Lord, to rest and to spend quality time with our family.

Aileen S. Sumandal
1 - BAPSY

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Ash Wednesday marks the official start of lent. My family and I attend that mass (even if separately) and receive the ceremony. During the 40 days of lent, we also practice different traditions, namely: Fasting every Friday, which is the prohibition of consuming meat, purchasing palaspas, and Visita Iglesia, wherein we stop by seven churches to pray. Since we don't participate in other common traditions such as pabasa and salubong, we do our best at making up for them through those first mentioned traditions. The number of practices we execute isn't much of a deal to us. Instead, we place importance on minding God's sacrifices and love for the people; lent is the time when we express endless gratitude to Him.

Cruz, Roseanna
BAPSY Section 1

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ALEXIA MANUEL

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Green Aesthetic Ramadan Mubarak Instagram Story

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I was born a Catholic, along with the rest of my family. However, we aren't really as religious as our extended family, and as most people would be. We never really did much of the religious practices, even up until now. I did take Catechism and went to church every week when I was younger, but we don't do as much anymore.

This means that we don't do religious practices during Holy Week. One thing I did notice though, that isn't really particularly religious, was that we would spend time with family and relatives around that time. It didn't even have to be that much. We could just go out to eat at a restaurant or spend the day in one of our houses and I quite enjoy these times whenever we have them.

Meredith Angelique A. Pangan
1BAPSY

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Since around 2013, my family and I made it a point to do Bisita Iglesia every year.  I always looked forward to it since I loved admiring the interior of churches.  We would also avoid eating meat, and either fast or eat fish instead.

However, due to the pandemic, we were not able to do Bisita Iglesia and instead prayed at home.  We continued to fast and avoid meat, though. As the current situation continues to lighten, we hope to finally be able to do Bisita Iglesia this year.

Bry Santos
1BAPSY

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Since the pandemic began, we have become less religious and have begun to shun religious traditions, even during holy week. Although, prior to the pandemic, we would normally attend church for Ash Wednesday and fasting. As a family, we also pray. As a group, we are devoting, sharing, and growing our connection with God.

Khi Leal
1 BAPSY

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My family isn't as religious as we could be-sure, we may do Ash Wednesday and Bisita Iglesia, but we may also not do it. Although one thing that we always did, even during the pandemic at home, was the Linggo ng Palaspas.

One routine thing that we do that isn't necessarily for our faith is to celebrate the weekend of Holy Week with all my relatives on my father's side of the family. We'd go to the resort that my tita owns and spend time catching up with my titas, titos, and cousins.

- Veronica Santos 1BAPSY

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Even before the pandemic, my family was never really religiously active. During Holy Week, we would not do much traditional practices together. We would go to mass for Ash Wednesday though. On Holy Week itself, we would simply spend time with each other and rest. It is a time where a whole family can spend an extended time together, regardless if they are working or a student.

- Aya Tamura, BAPSY

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My family and I have never really been very strict on following all the practices but we still make sure to respect the common traditions as much as we can. We mostly stick to following what became our family’s usual routine which consists of matters like attending Ash Wednesday mass, buying palaspas, visiting churches for Visita Iglesia, and fasting. However, due to the constraints brought about by the pandemic, we’ve made respective modifications to the aforementioned practices to ensure our safety. The most prominent tradition we observed this year was restrain ourselves from eating meat and opting for other alternatives instead.

Airos Marie G. de Vera
Section 1 BAPSY

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For as long as I can remember my family and I celebrate Holy Week the same every year, it is almost like we have a list to do when the season of Lenten arrives. We would always attend the mass during ash Wednesday with the family. Then we would be joining our parish for the palm Sunday where we would but palaspas for every member of the family and each would hang it on their own windows. We would also do the Visita Iglesia. We mostly tend to try and visit new churches and make wishes. And my sisters’ favorite celebration is Easter Sunday as my parents like to hide eggs all over our garden and we would have to find it and get prices equivalent to the eggs that we would find. And lastly, we would also watch movies about Jesus during this season. The movies help us to remember the reason why we are doing all those activities. And after the Lenten season, we would gladly do it again the following year.

Bianca Abarquez
BAPSY Section 1

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Our family strictly observes the practices done during the Holy Week. During this season we are prohibited from eating meat and eat fish instead. We also refrain from having too much fun but rather take our time to rest and reflect on ourselves during this time. If time permits, we usually spend the Holy Week doing a general cleaning at home as well as it is also a time where the family can spend time together. The family also does "Bisita Iglesia" during the previous years. However, it was suddenly stopped due to the current situation. As the situation eases on the upcoming Holy Week, we hope to spend this time with our family the most as we pray.

Maria Cassandra Denise S. Ador
Section 1 BAPSY

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Practices during the Lenten Season

When we celebrate the Lenten season, my family and I follow standard practices such as fasting and avoiding consuming meat. We attend holy mass each day and sometimes try to participate in processions or stay at different places to join and experience Visita Iglesia. We mostly spend our days praying, meditating, and watching shows about Christ and the Bible throughout the whole week.

Samantha Marie B. Gawe
Section 1 BAPSY