This Holy Week, Filipino Catholics are expected to revive many of the traditions and rituals that have been curtailed or restricted for nearly three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ranging from the traditional activities such as Pabasa and Senakulo to the “extreme” rites such as self-flagellation and crucifixions (as had been celebrated in San Pedro Cutud, San Fernando City, Pampanga before the pandemic), these rituals and traditions have become an integral part of Filipinos’ commemoration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In the town of Palo, Leyte, in particular, local devotees are once again set to carry out its own Lenten tradition of "Tais-dupol."
“Tais-dupol,” which meant “pointed” and “blunt” respectively, refers to the cone-shaped hats that devotees wear during the traditional procession and during the reenactment of the Passion of Christ on Good Friday.
A long history
This tradition, now a trademark of Palo’s Lenten commemorations, is believed to have rooted from the Penitentes or Nazareños, men and women wearing cone-shaped hoods that cover their faces.
The main difference, however, is that in Palo, only men participate in the practice.
The original Penitentes carry religious statues and icons in daily processions as a form of sacrifice during the weeklong celebration of the Semana Santa of Andalusia, Spain back in the 15th century.
Local touch
In 1894, Fr. Pantaleon de la Fuente, a Franciscan Friar and a native of Spain who served as Parish Priest of Palo from 1887 to 1898, introduced the practice to the locals and added his touch to the tradition.
It is said that he desired to give a more dramatic color to the narrative of Christ’s suffering, crucifixion, death and burial and ordered several sculptured figures depicting the different incidents of Christ’s passion in Barcelona, Spain.
He also ordered robes in three colors-white, blue and purple- that were worn by the individuals who became the nucleus of what is now known as the Palo Penitentes.
The hoods, which observers had noted were very similar to those worn by members of the
white supremacist group Ku Klux Klan in the United States, cover their faces entirely, with slits for the eyes to see.
Married members wear navy blue robes with pointed hoods while bachelors or unmarried members wear violet or deep purple color robes with black blunted hoods while officers and senior members wear all white robes and a pointed hood.
Rituals
For the Penitentes, as the name connotes, start their week-long “penitentsiya” (sacrifice) through a series of liturgical and para-liturgical activities that includes praying of the Holy Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, Recollection, Benediction, Ora Santa or Holy Hour, going to confession and attending the Holy Eucharist in the evening of Saturday prior to Domingo de Ramos or Palm Sunday which they piously call pamalandong (reflection).
Barefoot and enduring the scorching heat of the asphalt, penitents rendered their sacrifices by helping with the preparations and the activities after the celebrations such as solicitation of charitable donations, preparation of the Station of the Cross along the route of the procession and even in cleaning the Cathedral and its grounds, the Kalbaryo (Calvary Hill) and prepare the image of the crucified Christ for the Siete Palabras (Seven Last Words) as well as the route of the Good Friday procession.
Palo penitents are also known to only eat molabola (milled malagkit rice fashioned into tiny balls and cooked in coconut milk and sugar), as a form of “puasa” or fasting.
Far from just being a spectacle for visitors and locals, Palo penitents have been a symbol of devotion for many and for its members, it is not just the robe and the hoods they wear.
This tradition is their act of penance and devotion that matters the most as they honor Christ’s sacrifices for everyone.