Over the years, my friends would often ask me where I would spend my Holy Week break, and I would simply say I would travel somewhere. It has become something of a tradition for me to take advantage of the long break to explore new places.
Decades ago, the idea of traveling during this sacred period would have been unthinkable. In those times, Holy Week was reserved for solemn reflection, prayer, and religious observance, and any form of travel was seen as a disruption to the sanctity of the season.
Growing up, I remember how my relatives would always warn me about going out during this period. “Patay ang Diyos,” they would say, especially on Good Friday. To mourn the death of Christ, we would stay inside the house, keeping the windows closed and the doors shut tight.
No one was allowed to make noise, which meant no TVs or loud radio music, no karaoke. The weight of the silence felt heavy, a constant reminder of the sacredness of those days. Perhaps, for some, there was something about the stillness in the air during Holy Week that made them feel a deeper connection to the reverence human beings are meant to embody.
Even in hot March or April weather, we were not allowed to bathe. The elders explained it as a form of penance, a way of purifying the body.
Abstaining from eating meat was the norm back in the day. I remember our family would prepare fish or vegetable dishes instead of the usual meat. It was another small sacrifice in line with the fasting tradition. Conversations around the table, while eating the simple meals, were quieter than usual, as if everyone knew we were participating in something bigger than ourselves.
Come the afternoon of Maundy Thursday, the elders would gather around a dimly lit room and chant the “Pabasa ng Pasyon.” People would take turns singing the epic poem that narrated the story of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection. Hours slipped by as we sang in unison, and the chanting would go on well into the night.
For someone with a deep sense of wanderlust, my favorite tradition is the Visita Iglesia. Aside from offering penance and reflecting on faith, visiting seven different churches not only lets me step outside the confines of home but also feels like a mini adventure, satisfying my love for travel while allowing me to appreciate the unique architectural beauty of each church.
I also look forward to Senakulo, the reenactment of Christ’s Passion, with the people in costume parading on the streets. For most, it wasn’t just a play; it was a deep, emotional reminder of the sacrifice Christ made for humankind.
To this day, I find myself enjoying different iterations of Senakulo, a folk-religious and theatrical retelling of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
On April 6, a few days before Holy Week, Teatrong Mulat ng Pilipinas presented Papet Pasyon 2025, a unique way of retelling the classic biblical story. A young boy, who received a miracle from Jesus, acted as a central storyteller in this play based on Biblical passages and Filipino tradition during Holy Week.
Written by National Artist for Theater Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio, it features wooden puppets smithed by master woodcarvers of the woodcarving town of Paete in Laguna.
Marking its 40th anniversary, Papet Pasyon 2025 returned to where it all began – at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) – welcoming both seasoned and new generations of Mulateers (as the Mulat Theater puppeteers are fondly called) to continue their decades-long panata each Lenten season.
First staged at the CCP, Teatrong Mulat continued the panata initiated by Lapeña-Bonifacio in 1985. Papet Pasyon has been performed annually in various venues such as churches, schools, and other performing spaces in Metro Manila and Bulacan until it found its permanent home at the Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio Teatro Papet Museo in Teacher’s Village, Quezon City in 2006.
Even at the height of the pandemic in 2021 and 2022, Teatrong Mulat was able to produce two stage-to-film versions. In 2023, Papet Pasyon was staged at the recently renovated Metropolitan Theater of Manila.
Directed by Teatrong Mulat artistic director Amihan Bonifacio-Ramolete, Papet Pasyon 2025 has undergone numerous updates over the years—from the length of the texts and the wooden rod puppets to the incorporation of shadow play elements and voice-over recordings; each innovation has helped the play stand the test of time.
Amid its constant evolution, Papet Pasyon 2025 has remained steadfast in its original vision since its debut 40 years ago: to present the senakulo through the art of puppetry, bringing the passion of Jesus Christ closer to new and younger generations of audiences.
Papet Pasyon 2025 was performed on April 6 at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez. Papet Pasyon 2025 was free to the public.