Filipinos marked Good Friday by retracing Jesus Christ’s last steps and reliving his crucifixion with nails, whips and blood.
The gory rituals in several parts of the heavily Roman Catholic country are not sanctioned by the Church as part of Easter but have become a magnet for the curious and devout during a week of prayer, shopping, visiting and little work.
With millions on the move and churches packed, security forces were on full alert after Muslim rebels vowed to avenge the killing of 22 comrades during a recent jail siege.
Abu Sayyaf, linked to al-Qaida and regional militants from Jemaah Islamiah, is a small but deadly group that claimed three bombings in mid-February and a blast on a ferry in early 2004.
The threat did nothing to deter thousands of Filipinos and foreigners from flocking to the farming village of Cutud, 90 minutes north of Manila, to see dozens of black-hooded penitents trudging along a road whipping their own backs raw.
Nailed to crosses
On a dusty hill, with the crowd pressing round, 11 men had themselves nailed to crosses in imitation of Christ’s suffering. The nails hammered into their hands and feet were as thick as pencils.
“I feel lighter after I have been nailed to the cross. But my cross was really heavy,” said Ruben Enage, who started 19 years ago after his mother was cured of tuberculosis.
“It takes a lot of courage to get up there,” said Matthew James, an American in the Philippines on business. “A lot of faith there.”
In the nearby town of San Simon, about 100 men -- old and young -- whipped their backs with bundles of sticks as relatives helped keep the blood flowing with razor blades and water.
“This is just a little pain compared to my sins,” said Ruben Arriola, a house painter.
Elsewhere, Filipinos marked Good Friday more quietly with prayers and pilgrimages.
Most local television and radio stations were off the air, while others broadcast religious shows. Major newspapers did not publish on Thursday or Friday.
