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The
San Pedro Cutud Lenten Rites is a Holy Week re-enactment
of Christ’s Passion and Death complete with a passion
play culminating with the actual nailing of at least
three flagellants to a wooden cross atop the makeshift
Calvary. Every year on Good Friday, a dozen or so
penitents - mostly men but with the occasional woman -
are taken to a rice field in the barrio of San Pedro
Cutud, 3km from San Fernando,Pampanga and nailed to a
cross using two-inch stainless steel nails that have
been soaked in alcohol to disinfect them. The penitents
are taken down when they feel cleansed of their sin.
Other penitents flagellate themselves using bamboo
sticks tied to a rope.
San Pedro Cutud is a town in Pampanga province in the
Philippines, approximately 70 kilometers north of
Manila. It is known for annual re-enactments of the
crucifixion of Jesus. During Holy Week each year,
thousands of penitents arrive in the area to watch and
take part in a pageant commemorating the passion, death
and resurrection of Jesus, including the Good Friday
flagellation and crucifixion rituals. A small number of
participants choose to have their hands and feet
temporarily nailed to makeshift crosses as a sign of
faith and repentance; some undergo the ritual yearly. |
