Holy Week in the Philippines

There’s no place in the world like the Philippines where the visuals of Christ’s crucifixion is played out on the streets so blatantly.

In this video, a man walking along pampang market in Angeles City, whips himself with bamboo shards.As I filmed him he said, “ma’am baka matalsikan kayo ng dugo,” or in English,“ma’am be careful the blood might splatter on you.” This practice is done to show their devotion to Jesus and mimic his suffering. However, this is not sanctioned by the church.Lots of questions surrounding this practice.

Does one need to put themselves through this kind of punishment to reach God? What do you think?

Note: What you’re seeing here is actually the end of a whole process. It’s not exactly what you think. He has not beaten himself to a bloody pulp. Before he goes on his trek through the streets, an assistant with a wooden mallet with glass shards taps the mallet into his back creating small bloody wounds. The assistant then sprays the back with water to spread the blood all over his back. The man then walks around the city flagellating himself with the bamboo whip. One spectator says supposedly it doesn’t hurt because they get into such a religious fervor that the whipping becomes numb. It’s only after that they really feel the pain.