Crucifixion in the Philippines: Tourists Welcome

As the only officially Catholic country in Asia, the Philippines, thanks to Father Pedro de Valderama who arrived with Spanish explorer Magellan in the early 1500s, is gearing up for Easter. And there are few places on Earth where religious fervor is matched in such graphic shows of penitence and resolve to do better. Although there are calmer, more sedate versions of the Good Friday celebratory happenings, the most extreme are the Penitencia where people mirror Jesus’ suffering by being nailed to a cross. Others dress up like Roman soldiers. Really. There’s a bit more to it than this, and no one actually dies, but it sure isn’t pleasant. The government and the Catholic Church both frown on the practice, but those who are involved are determined.

Tourists do show up. If you’re interested, here’s a link that lists some of these Good Friday events. I also found this interesting read by Larry Kingston in the online travel magazine The Tangent-Ezine. Kingston was an eyewitness to last year’s event. Besides providing an account of the happenings and his impressions, his article is filled with photographs. The photo here is of people waiting for the crucifixion to take place. These crosses are part of the scenery.

Pancake Week (Maslenitsa) is Party Time in Moscow

Pancake Week is almost here. From February 15 to 18, Maslenitsa, the Russian equivalent of Mardi Gras, will turn Moscow’s streets into a carnival of singing, dancing and entertainment. This party attitude in February started back in pagan times and became part of Eastern Orthodoxy when Christianity took over celebrations with a nature worshiping angle. Now, it marks the pre-stages of Lent.

With Russia’s political history (I would guess) Maslenitsa hit a dry spell for about 85 years and passed by without much brouhaha. Not anymore. Since 2002, it’s back in force and some. Central, of course, are pancakes. The Russian version is blini which are served up with either caviar, mushrooms, jam and plenty of butter. Like with any pagan turned Christian holiday there is symbolism behind the food. Pancakes represent the sun and warmth as winter is coming to an end. Each day of the traditional holiday also has a particular meaning. I came across RusCuisine.com that gives a detailed overview of each day and provides recipes so you can whip up some blini yourself.

Besides eating blini and giving blini to friends and family, fist fighting is also a Maslenitsa activity. This is not a fist fight fest where everyone whams on each other, but some sort of organized happening, meaning if you head to Moscow at this time, I don’t think you’ll have to duck.

Dancing bears, sleigh rides, fireworks and more are also part of the week’s events. For more info, since I’ve really just touched on a few highlights, click here for a more indepth overview of the festival’s history and traditions.