During Lent, there are re-enactments of the Passion of the Christ. People dress up as Jesus, the apostles, Mary and Roman soldiers and they walk on the streets complete with replicas of spears and the cross and crown of thorns. The re-enactments are not unusual. Even in the big cities, we see them. But in the rural areas, they are more serious about these things. Lenten processions are well-attended and the statues of saints are dressed in magnificent silks and lace and velvets.
When we had lunch at Exotik Restaurant on Maundy Thursday, as we were trying to look for a parking slot upon arriving, there was a group of parking attendants in very colorful costumes. From a distance, I thought they were dressed as Roman soldiers because they had painted beards. Which would have made sense, kind of, since it was Maundy Thursday. It wasn’t until one of them was up close that I noticed the pink foundation on his face. And I wondered if he really meant to look like a character from a Passion Play. Or Ati-atihan, maybe? Mardi Gras? Or maybe there’s a ritual or event in Laguna that I don’t know about? Or are the parking attendants’ costumes something peculiar to Exotik Restaurant?
A few months back, a friend forwarded a music video, promoting the province of Pampanga. And it was pleasant enough, starting with a teen balikbayan being picked up by his friends at NIA. The music is cued in, and they’re off to see Mt Arayat, shop at the new malls, enjoy some longaniza, and so on. Then they showed someone being nailed to the cross. It’s not the first time I’ve seen this image. But with a pop beat accompaniment? Cognitive dissonance – definitely.
So was it an attempt at modernizing the Lenten ritual and making it more acceptable to the younger generation? You know, like adding a “cool” factor?
The Passion of the Christ? Cool? I hope not.
No, I think the producers were thinking…
No, I cannot even guess what the producers were thinking.
Can you share that music video on FB? I’m intrigued.
pink ba kamo? baka campaigning for that vice-presidential candidate…
Whoa. Had that entered my mind at the time, we might not have eaten there at all hahaha