Every year during Holy Week, I am asked why we have extreme forms of self-inflicted pain among Filipinos, the most dramatic of which are the flagellants and the ones who get themselves crucified. These practices are generically called penitensiya, meaning it’s presumed they are done to atone, to do penance, for sins. But more than [...]
“Araw ng Tatlong Hari,” or Feast of the Three Kings, is marked here on the first Sunday of the New Year. Liturgically, this is known as Epiphany, which translates into the revelation of God the Son as a baby laid on a manger.
The Inquirer recently featured photographs of three local Christmas trees made of recycled materials, an encouraging sign of growing awareness of environmental conservation.
Pangasinan is supposed to have gotten its name from its famous gourmet product, a coarse, pinkish sea salt (asin) praised by discriminating cooks all over the world. Pangasinan, depending on your informant, means either “land of salt” or “place where salt is made.”
Dasmarinas is the name of: a town in Cavite, a posh gated community in Makati, and a busy street in Manila’s Chinatown. There were two Spanish governors-general by that name in Philippine history: Gomez Perez Dasmariñas, who served in 1590-1593, and who was murdered by Chinese rowers while on a military expedition, and his son [...]
Arturo Luz recalled his introduction to classical Japanese theater half a century ago during a trip to Tokyo with the painter Fernando Zobel; they spent the better half of an evening watching the slow, studied movements of an actor who took almost an hour just to get on stage.
“Selamat hari raya Idul Fitri” is how I learned to greet people “Happy Idul Fitri holiday” on my first foreign consultancy, in Indonesia in 1970, long before the acronym OFW was coined.
In the pit of darkest Lent, the country gained renown, or notoriety, again for its grisly religious rituals. Several wire agencies reported on it.
