Dapit and Holy Friday Procession in Paete, laguna

Holy Friday in Paete, Laguna is always marked with the usual ceremony inside the church with the seven last words to end at exactly three o'clock in the afternoon when the Santo Entierro commences (locals call the dead ChirstMahal na Senor). The Mahal na Senor will be brought to church accompanied by a multitude of churchgoers ( this is locally called dapit).

The disciples, biblical people, and almost every event of the passion are depicted in life-sized (except the Last Supper on Holy Wednesday) and life-like poon maintained by devoted families of the town famous for woodcarving.








many people make this some sort of lifetime devotion




on the way to church


I wonder if the little child really understands what he's doing or just mimicking what other people ceremoniously do

...and the brass band plays the punebre (dirge).



la mater dolorosa en vestido negro

The Friday procession, with most images in black dresses and people in their "friday best" garbs, winds through the narrow streets of Paete, where even the tutubi sometimes get lost in it's maze-like alleys, in a route designated to pass by every home displaying the images of the Holy Wednesday procession. The church bells will also be silent this time with children announcing the procession using wooden or bamboo clappers called matraka with incense adding an eerie feel of the event.

Tips: When coming to Paete for the Holy Week, do try to catch the Wednesday edition of the procession to witness the moving saints of the salubong with operatic voiceover starting at 6pm. The town is teeming with lots of curious tourists, photographers, media people and balikbayan and accommodations are not easy to find.