growing up, i remember just being "second-hand religiouS". my mom and dad aren't atheists, but they aren't the praying type either. they believe that going to church should only be done once a year -christmas! my grandma (mom side) was more of the "thou shall not speak the Lord's name in vain" type.
every summer i remember, we would stay over at her house to have a respite from the city lifE. it was an idyllic existence, except when it's the holy week. she would reprimand us if we are not doing the motions.
she had a rule about not uttering a word for the whole of Holy Friday. we can only do hand signals. speaking louder than a squeek would make the cross heavier and the nails more painful for Christ. being impressionable young 'uns that we are, the thought of making someone bleed because of our talking mortified us.
and the fooD. oh the food! fish cooked in every imaginable way. grilled, baked, put in sinigang, skewered, relleno-ed...we had to check our backs just in case we were growing scales.
then there's the praying of the rosary...in spanisH. i was just mumbling along.
we also had a specific hour of the day where we would just meditate about our transgressions to the lorD. we had to ask for forgiveness for every single one.
playing was not allowed of coursE. but back then i was already i was already a hard headed runt so i went sneaking into the storage room. i piled chairs to reach the high cabinet containing my toys. chairs slipped. got the wind seriously knocked out of me. and i semi passed out. when i got to, it was late afternoon.
i got to know my lola's posse of lovely old ladies and their hushed chitchatS.
it seemed to go on foreveR. sadly, just like the afternoon sun setting, my grandma got weaker as time marched along. soon she barely have the energy to stand up.
with her, our holy week traditions went awaY.
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the silence of the day makes me feel like looking back on those golden afternoonS. i used to abhor those rules. now there is that bittersweet pang reminiscing.
the holy week we knew back then is so different from what it is now, don't you think sO?
which one do you prefeR?
8 comments:
I accompanied my mom at the church this evening. There's a lot of rituals going on. It is only now I've learned that the mass ends not with "Thanks be to God," during Holy Thursdays but the priests leave the sacrament hanging. They just switch off the lights and quietly leave the altar.
Somehow I miss the old ways. The Lenten nowadays barely make a dent in a Catholic's way of life. Guess that's what you're trying to convey in your entry.
wow, i didnt know that either, galen. i really miss it. nowadays, the holy week is now but a facade for vacation and hedonism.
This is something I never really did get to experience ever since. Methinks that you should give a bit more importance to this kind of tradition that you're grandmother has been doing for a long time. After all, it is just for a couple of days in a year... and look at it this way, it is a way of giving respect to the Lord during the time when he has suffered the most.
But yeah, praying the rosary in Spanish and keeping the mouth shut for one whole day? Whew.
i agreE. if ever i get to have a family of my own(who knows, right?), i would definitely come up with certain traditions for my kids.
I agree...kahit di ko binasa..ano ba pinag-uusapan nyo? - ang haba e .. nyahahaha
actually, na cute-an lang ako sa yo sa picture mo..wala lang ;-)
ano daw? hehe.
well at least that's a reason for dropping by my blog. :)
Napadaan. Kami rin. My family was never the devouts.
:) aren't we all? hehe.
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