Semana Santa Edition-The Betrayal

Carmina and Patch delve into their collective recollection of Holy Week customs and process their childhood traumas. In doing so, they discover a new understanding for this aspect of Philippine culture. Patch is feigned horrified by Carmina’s “betrayal” in an unexpected twist.

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Thanks to the podcast's sponsor SOLEPACK. Visit thesolepack.com for more details.

For additional reading: What is Holy Week, This Visayas Town Once Reviled Judas Iscariot By Setting His Dick on Fire, Palm Sunday’s Palaspas, Overview: Holy Week traditions in the Philippines, Every year a Filipino man marks Good Friday with an actual crucifixion, and Liberation Theology in the Philippines: Faith in a Revolution. 

To see the carroza discussed in this episode, go to timestamp 3:47: Miyerkules Santo procecion Balayan Batangas 2019.

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Transcript

Patch (00:08):

Hi Carmina.

Carmina (00:10):

Hi Patch! Hi listeners. Welcome to JeepneyTrip, a podcast where we explore everything fun, weird, and in between about the Philippines.

Patch (00:21):

A word about our sponsor.

Carmina (00:24):

JeepneyTrip is sponsored by SolePack, a functional shoe accessory bag. Its patented design stores your shoes on the sides of your backpack and provides an ergonomic and hygienic means to carry your shoes.

Patch (00:38):

Now you can travel hands-free, have more space inside your backpack and keep your dirty shoes away from everything. Be sure to also check out their string bags and backpacks for more options.

Carmina (00:50):

Visit thesolepack.com and enter JeepneyTrip10 at checkout for a 10% discount. Now back to our show.

Carmina (00:58):

Today's trip is a holiday trip. And a holiday trip is when we talk about a specific holiday observance, festival or celebration and our personal experiences with that holiday. In this episode, we will be talking about Holy Week in the Philippines. So Patch, you know what, for me, Holy Week is second to the Christmas holiday season in terms of my memories about my childhood and the impact that it has on me personally,

Patch (01:34):

For me, I wouldn't say it was second because I remember a lot of, um, sacrifice [laughter] related to Holy Week. So I was not always looking forward to it.

Carmina (01:49):

Well, did I say I was looking forward to it?

Patch (01:53):

That's true.

Carmina (01:54):

I mean, I wasn't looking forward to Simbang Gabi either. [laughter]

Patch (01:59):

I understand. It's pretty memorable to you.

Carmina (02:02):

Yes, I guess that's what I meant. It's second in terms of memory and, um, maybe trauma [laughter].

Patch (02:12):

[laughter] Childhood trauma. Maybe that's why I forgot a lot about what actually transpires during Holy Week.

Carmina (02:20):

I guess I understand because when I was researching, it was like some form of PTSD recalling some of the things that I have gone through, but also I felt some kind of appreciation as well. So even if it was a little bit, you know, not as fun as our other holidays, now that I'm older and I'm able to reflect, I realize that this is another tradition of ours that is so full of historical significance.

Patch (02:56):

Carmina, every region, every province, every town city seemed to be doing something different. So Holy Week is generally known as Semana Santa and it starts with Palm Sunday. For us, I remember we would start it off by going to mass, maybe six or seven in the morning. And that's where we would get the palaspas. They're basically these palm leaves that are woven and blessed by the priests. And when you get home, they make it into a cross.

Carmina (03:34):

Mm-hmmm.

Patch (03:34):

Does your family do that too?

Carmina (03:37):

As always, when there's a holiday like this, I am shipped to the provinces and the way we observe Holy Week there, I feel is reminiscent of how it has been celebrated for generations. So Palm Sunday is a showcase of artwork when it comes to palaspas.

Patch (04:00):

Yeah, I remember that too. Some even put flowers -

Carmina (04:05):

Mm-hmmm.

Patch (04:05):

- and I just remember feeling very safe with it when they place it on our door.

Carmina (04:11):

Mm-hmmm.

Patch (04:11):

I feel like no evil spirit can come through.

Carmina (04:15):

Right.

Patch (04:16):

But what is Palm Sunday, anyway? Palm Sunday is when Christians commemorate Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

Carmina (04:26):

So Patch, I know that we associate palaspas with Holy Week, which of course was brought to us by the Spaniards. Right? But there's actually historical reference that the palaspas existed, even before the colonization happened.

Patch (04:43):

Was it part of our like pagan ritual or something?

Carmina (04:46):

That's right. So there was this friar called Fray Juan de Placencia who noted in his chronicles in 1589, that when the early Filipinos wanted to celebrate their festivals, they created a temporary shed. And on it, they will have pots and small lamps and in the center they would place one large lamp, and it was decorated with leaves of the white Palm, which was also made into many designs. And that was the first historical recording of palaspas. And even back then, it was an art form.

Patch (05:27):

That's pretty cool. In some towns, Palm Sunday is also known as the Sunday of the Passion. And that is because that is when the Gospel Passion Narratives are read.

Carmina (05:38):

In our province, specifically in our own household -

Patch (05:41):

Mm-hmmm.

Carmina (05:41):

- we hosted what you call the "Pabasa ng Pasyon," or roughly translated the "Reading of the Passion." So do you know, Patch, how that's done?

Patch (05:53):

There are a group of family members or even neighbors that come together and they don't necessarily read, but don't they sing? So it takes hours, right?

Carmina (06:05):

So I guess we should tell our listeners what people are reading from. So there's this book called "Pasyong Mahal," which is a 16th century, epic poem narrating the life, passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. So a person named Gaspar Aquino de Belen wrote the first chant in Tagalog, which dates back to 1704. He was a native of Batangas where my province Balayan is in [laughter].

Patch (06:36):

Mm-hmmm.

Carmina (06:36):

So I guess that's why the Pabasa is very much practiced there. You were asking earlier how long it's done. So I know in other places that there's a group of people who read it and maybe they start in the morning and then end at sometime in the evening, and then they do it again the next day. But the way I experienced it, it's done continuously until the entire book is finished. So I remember during my childhood that there would be these random people [laughter] who would come -

New Speaker (07:11):

Go to your house? [laughter]

Carmina (07:13):

- come in and out. [laughter] And I was always wondering when they would leave and why they were so noisy. [laughter]. Apparently the Spaniards introduced it to us by chanting, but the Filipinos, their adaptation of it, sang it.

Patch (07:33):

Of course.

Carmina (07:33):

And depending on where you are, they have different styles of singing it. So in the Tagalog region, there might be one way of doing it. And another way in the Ilocano and the Visayan regions. And like I said, the way I remember it is that waves of people would come in and out, 24 hours, until the whole book is done.

Patch (07:58):

I came across this article that mentioned this young rap group led by this rapper, Ralph Ton Papa. And so they're rappers, they're performers, but during Holy Week, they rap the Pasyon.

Carmina (08:13):

That is so cool.

Patch (08:16):

Isn't it? I mean, I know it sounds funny at first or maybe some people will even think that that's kind of disrespectful, but I actually think that that's a good way to introduce and to keep this tradition going for the young people. So I tried to Google him and his group and I tried to find them in YouTube, but couldn't find them. I'm very disappointed because I really did want to see and hear how they performed or they interpreted the passion. So if any of our listeners could let us know, please email us jeepneytrip@gmail.com and we'd love to explore.

Carmina (09:03):

So Patch, have you heard of this term called "Spy Wednesday?"

Patch (09:07):

So it's a Holy Wednesday, also known as Spy Wednesday, and it involves reading of the Psalms and extinguishing the candles in the cadelabra one by one so there's this growing darkness that's happening in church. But outside of that -

Carmina (09:24):

The only thing that I do remember is that day is usually the beginning of the processions in my province.

Patch (09:33):

The procession would be from church. The images of saints are placed on carriages and they go around from the church and back again eventually.

Carmina (09:45):

Right.

Patch (09:46):

But what happens in Balayan?

Carmina (09:47):

So the carriages are called the carrozas and it's exactly, as you describe, Patch. It starts in church. And then it goes around specific points in the town.

Patch (09:59):

I remember when we were young, you used to tell me the stories of the image of Christ being in your family for generations, and you used to bring it to church. And it would be one of those that are included in the procession.

Carmina (10:14):

Yes. Patch. You seem to remember all of my childhood traumas very well. [laughter]

Patch (10:20):

I remember yours but I remember nothing of mine. [laughter]

Carmina (10:24):

You are absolutely right. It's an image that doesn't depict Christ in the happiest of times [laughter]. I mean, it is Holy Week. So the particular image that you're talking about, it's the Scourging at the Pillar, which is of course, if we remember our Bible, depicts Christ in one of his most painful episodes during his passion. And during Holy Week, it is out, you know, in the common area of our home, where the pabasa happens in front of the statue. Aside from being displayed during the pabasa, this statue is also put on a float or a carroza during Holy Wednesday. And I think even Holy Thursday. The carozza would be arranged with flowers, with torches, and it was pulled by men in the family and family members would basically walk behind it. So I haven't been home for a long, long time. And I was just curious if there were depictions of the procession in Balayan on YouTube. And I found a video!

Patch (11:33):

Oh wow.

Carmina (11:34):

So we're gonna link it in our show notes. And if people are curious, the float or the carroza that I'm talking about, it's number five. It just brought back so many memories Patch, and I wish that I had taken the time to understand the significance of all this during my childhood.

Patch (11:53):

Well, it's not too late.

Carmina (11:55):

That's true. And I'm really heartened that people are continuing this tradition in Balayan. And the other thing that I remember about these processions, it was a way for younger people to have a secret date.

Patch (12:11):

Spill the tea, Carmina. [laughter]

Carmina (12:13):

Well, not me, because I was with my entire family behind the carroza [laughter]. But other people would basically tell their parents or their elders that they would attend the procession and they would be attending it with their, you know, suitors [laughter].

Patch (12:29):

Ooh, scandalous. Okay. So that was Holy Wednesday. The next day is called Maundy Thursday.

Carmina (12:39):

Why is it called "Maundy," Patch? M-A-U-N-D-Y. Do you know why?

Patch (12:44):

In fact I do. [laughter]

Carmina (12:47):

Wow! Points! Okay. Spill.

Patch (12:49):

So "Maundy" comes from the Latin term "mandatum," which means new commandment. So Maundy Thursday reminds us of this new commandment that Jesus gave his disciples basically to love one another as he loved them. And what happens is during services, there is the act of foot washing by the priests to 12 elders of the church or participants of the church that are chosen in advance. And they represent the 12 disciples. And I remember this distinctly because my Dad was part of the Knights of Columbus. They picked the members of the Knights of Columbus to be one of the 12 disciples. And I remember this distinct feeling of cringing [laughter] every time the priest washed my dad's feet and the priest would kiss the feet of the disciples, right?

Carmina (13:48):

Right.

Patch (13:49):

I mean, I'm sorry, but that was very disturbing to me. [laughter]

Carmina (13:52):

Because you knew what your Dad's feet were up to? [laughter]

Patch (13:58):

Exactly. Not for anything, but he was always a very clean person. But still, you know, I was a child and that was my dad and that's his feet. [laughter] That was part of my childhood trauma. Looking back the Knights of Columbus, I didn't really understand them very well. I thought that they were this secret organization. But really, they organized a lot of activities for the parish community. So looking back, I am very proud of my dad for being very involved in that. You know, interestingly enough, Pope Francis recently included women in the washing of the feet. I think that's really admirable of him.

Carmina (14:41):

Oh, I just remembered. One of the other traditions that commences on Maundy Thursday is the Visita Iglesia or the Visitation of Churches. It's a pledge to visit seven churches in one day.

Patch (14:57):

Did you ever complete that?

Carmina (14:59):

I'm sure I was dragged around somehow. [laughter]

Patch (15:01):

Same.

Carmina (15:02):

And the incentive is if it's a church that you have never visited before, you can make a wish.

Patch (15:09):

You know, I still do that sometimes, when I visit a church that I've never visited before.

Carmina (15:14):

Yeah, me too, I guess that takes us to Good Friday.

Patch (15:17):

At first I was confused, 'cause I couldn't remember the details of my childhood. Uh, and I'm not saying I'm old or anything, but I'm old. [laughter] But I was getting confused with the Senakulo versus the Pabasa. And then I remembered, basically, Pabasa is like what you said, uh, neighbors, family, and friends would come over and you would do readings, basically. While the Senakulo, now I remember, is when there's an actual kind of a play, usually a stage held at church wherein they reenact the Passion of Christ.

Carmina (15:56):

That's true. But it also isn't a one-day event in some places.

Patch (16:00):

Right.

Carmina (16:00):

So again, I remember in my province, there were penitents who walk the street who actually flagellate themselves to reenact how the soldiers treated Christ as he was walking towards his crucifixion.

Patch (16:17):

There are women sometimes included in this ritual, I remember. And it has become some sort of fortunate or unfortunate tourist attraction. I've only witnessed it once as a child. I don't remember from where, because it wasn't very common where we were in Manila, but it was very terrifying to me to see. And I didn't really understand why they were doing it, you know, or what was happening, but it was very intense and people really believed in the penitence.

Carmina (16:51):

Now we have to say this, the Catholic church doesn't actually endorse these things nowadays, but I can just imagine that this was probably something that happened more frequently in the early days of Catholicism in the Philippines. And in these provinces, Patch, they don't stop there. People actually themselves to be crucified.

Patch (17:15):

I always wondered. So what happens to these people who get crucified? So apparently once they're taken down, they're taken inside church where usually there's a paramedic who helps them dress their wounds. So that makes me feel a lot better about that practice.

Carmina (17:35):

In Pampanga, a live crucifixion only happened in 1961 when Arsenio Anoza made a vow to nail himself to a cross every Holy Friday, beginning in 1961. And he pledged to do this for, guess how long, Patch?

Patch (17:53):

30 years? [laughter]

Carmina (17:56):

Well, thankfully it was only half that. He pledged to do it for 15 years from 1961 until 1976, but someone else named Ruben Enaje crucified himself 28 times. And in 2015 he had his 29th attempt. He started doing this in the early eighties as thanksgiving because he survived a fall from a five-story building. He believed that he is enjoying a second life because of God's intervention. And so that's why he was initially doing it. And then he started doing it because he had a daughter who was asthmatic. The next few years were for his wife. 2013 was supposed to be his last year, but then nobody replaced him. So he continued for a few more years. And this time his pledge was for his children. Basically he was praying for good jobs and better health for them.

Patch (19:01):

Hopefully his prayers were answered because can you imagine? [laughter]

Carmina (19:07):

I mean [laughter]

Patch (19:08):

And then? Can you imagine? [laughter]

Carmina (19:12):

No I can't [laughter].

Patch (19:17):

You do what you have to do, Carmina. Okay. But in any way, mad respect to him [laughter].

Carmina (19:26):

I don't know what to say.

Patch (19:27):

Okay, Carmina, we're going to choose to think his prayers were answered.

Carmina (19:34):

I really hope so. And apart from the self-flagellations and the crucifixions, one thing that I also remember in terms of the procession that happens on good Friday is the depiction of the saints that are on the carrozas. And Good Friday, since it commemorates the crucifixion and death of Christ, the statues that are left are the ones that portray Jesus as having died. And usually the images of the other saints and Mother Mary are veiled in black to signify that they're mourning the death of Christ.

Patch (20:13):

I reremember wondering why it was called Dood Friday because that seemed like the saddest day.

Carmina (20:20):

That is a good point.

Patch (20:22):

Actually, it is called Good Friday in the sense of meaning holy or the most holy or pious Friday. That makes more sense now. [laughter]. But that day is commemorated by a day of fasting. Right?

Carmina (20:39):

Right. So that day plus all of the other days of the week. So usually, Catholics around the world pledge to not eat meat or give up one favorite thing or give up alcohol. And speaking of fasting, do you remember what kinds of foods we eat during Holy Week?

Patch (20:58):

Friday in particular would be, you know, seafood.

Carmina (21:03):

Right.

Patch (21:04):

I remember my favorite was this steamed or baked Lapu-Lapu, which had mayonnaise and pineapple dressed over it. That was my favorite. And I'm sure not healthy with all the Mayo [laughter].

Carmina (21:19):

And speaking of other sacrifices, my brother reminded me of this tradition that I insisted that I don't remember practicing, but have you heard of this tradition that you cannot bathe from Thursday until Saturday? [laughter]

Patch (21:40):

At least for us, it was more of bathe before 3:00 PM. 'Cause that was when it was believed that Jesus passed.

Carmina (21:47):

He insists that it was from Thursday to Saturday because [laughter] you know, holy week signifies the beginning of the summer season.

Patch (21:56):

Right.

Carmina (21:56):

So it becomes really, really hot. So I cannot imagine that I adhered to that. [laughter]

Patch (22:04):

So it was not necessarily your sacrifice, but it's the sacrifice of others having to smell -

Carmina (22:12):

- you. [laughter] And then I guess the other thing too, why that sticks out is Saturday, which is called "Sabado de Gloria" is a time for families to go to the beach. And that definitely was a highlight of our Holy Week.

Patch (22:29):

So that's Black Saturday basically, right?

Carmina (22:33):

Mm-hmmm.

Patch (22:33):

I'm sure this is why your family went to the beach because it was silent day. As far as no radio, no TV allowed and everyone had to, well, I don't know if you were silent in the beach [laughter]. For us, it was just staying in the house and essentially not doing anything. But we, we read, you know.

Carmina (22:59):

I guess for the people in my family who didn't bathe for three days [laughter] and the ones who endured that, it was a very welcome day for everybody. But you're absolutely right. The Holy Week really tries to mimic misery in every -

Patch (23:21):

And suffering

Carmina (23:23):

- aspect of your life. There was basically some form of sacrifice of every day in that week. And you couldn't complain or whine because the answer that you would get is that you were offering that up to Christ.

Patch (23:42):

That's right.

Carmina (23:43):

So how about Easter Sunday, Patch? Any traditions that you remember?

Patch (23:48):

I vaguely remember waking up at dawn and going to church, very sleepy-eyee and witnessing the "dampog." So essentially it's a child between the ages of five and seven, a boy or a girl dressed as an angel. And this child is lowered at the stage, sometimes gracefully, but oftentimes not. [laughter]

Carmina (24:13):

So you're talking about the "Salubong," that's what we call the "Salubong" in my province.

Patch (24:18):

Ah, okay. Okay. So, and that child announces the resurrection of Jesus, right? So I remember again being terrified for that child, because again, sometimes they are lowered gracefully, but some more often than not, not. [laughter]

Carmina (24:35):

Me too! I remember a time like that [laughter].

Patch (24:39):

But it's a happy time because Jesus has been resurrected.

Carmina (24:44):

Right. I remember one time, with this little kid [laughter]. There was a technical malfunction, I guess. So she was just dangling -

Patch (24:57):

Oh my gosh! [laughter]

Carmina (24:59):

- for what seemed like a long time before she was actually lowered. But again, she can just offer it as a sacrifice [laughter], I guess.

Patch (25:12):

Speaking of childhood trauma.

Carmina (25:15):

And Easter Sunday is marked by good food.

Patch (25:21):

Yes.

Carmina (25:22):

So in my family, there's a particular dish that my Lola used to make. It's the bacalao or the cod. And that dish also used to take at least a day or two.

Patch (25:35):

For us, what I remember is the Paella Valenciana.

Carmina (25:39):

Yes.

Patch (25:40):

Which is, you know, chock full of seafood shrimp.

Carmina (25:45):

Mm-hmmm.

Patch (25:45):

And it's just very tasty.

Carmina (25:48):

So even in times of sacrifice, we can find a way.

Patch (25:53):

There's always the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. Carmina, you mentioned before one superstition was not bathing, right, from Thursday to Friday. What are some of the other superstitions that you came across?

Carmina (26:11):

One thing that I read is that wounds take longer to heal if you happen to get injured during holy week. So everybody tries to be careful during holy week.

Patch (26:23):

Hopefully, uh, people recognize when the wound is really taking longer to heal, to seek medical help, because it might be something serious. [laughter]

Carmina (26:33):

Yes, if you're one of the people who don't bathe, that's an added risk. [laughter]

Patch (26:40):

That's right. Another belief you're not supposed to hold or use pointed objects and knives because it was widely believed that since Jesus Christ suffered and died during that time, using pointed objects or knives will do some harm. This is a strange one, Carmina, I've never heard of this before. Apparently if you place a stingray's tail or "buntot ng pagi," as they call it, near a pregnant woman's room, it will protect her against evil spirits because people believe that evil spirit have the most power during this time of the year.

Carmina (27:26):

I never heard of that, but I guess that one and maybe the others, even if we don't know the origins, is a good example of how we adapted Spanish Catholic traditions to our own paganistic or folkloric beliefs.

Patch (27:43):

There's some other ones. So you're supposed to avoid wearing loud colors like red and pink people would wear white, green, brown, I guess, because it's a very somber time of the year.

Carmina (27:57):

So basically anything that robs you of joy [laughter].

Patch (28:03):

Well, general cleaning of one's house is strictly prohibited. That's one for joy. [laughter]. I didn't have to clean the house. Oh, there's this other thing - covering mirrors. And you must look into the mirror after 3:00 PM because the mirrors serve a portal for beings to visit and haunt living people.

Carmina (28:28):

So Patch, while I was researching for this episode, I came across a very interesting book. The interesting part about it for me, the tactics that the Spanish used in some ways backfired on them. So for example, the friars were trying to use the suffering of Jesus as a way to discourage the Filipinos from wanting to enrich ourselves. But instead, what happened was we drew a parallel between the suffering of Christ and those who were making him suffer to our colonizers and how they were oppressing us. And then there was also a theory that there were those few brave friars who didn't really agree with how we were being treated. One of the things that some of these friars did was teaching us the Passion of Christ as a way to teach social justice. And when I think back to some of our traditions and how we incorporated our own beliefs, I can't help, but think that some of the ways in which we celebrate is some form of protest, which brings me to a question that I have for you.

Patch (29:45):

Okay.

Carmina (29:46):

I know that you didn't want to bring this up, but -

Patch (29:50):

Is it part of my childhood trauma? What?

Carmina (29:53):

Well, not exactly, [laughter] but a few days ago you texted me a popular tradition in Antique that I really believe you should talk about right now. [laughter]

Patch (30:07):

How could you put me in this position, Carmina? [laughter]

Carmina (30:11):

I know you told me that you did not have, um, the courage -

Patch (30:15):

I told you -

Carmina (30:15):

- but you should really talk about it because I feel that this is a great example of what I was just talking about. So while I give you a few moments to gather your courage...So apparently, Antique was known as a hotbed of unrest during the Spanish colonial era.

Patch (30:41):

I mean, we're laughing, but that's not really the funny part of it.

Carmina (30:44):

Exactly. And, and, you know, just giving people a backstory of why this was a popular and probably is still a popular tradition over there. Antique was basically a revolutionary town, right?

Patch (30:57):

Right.

Carmina (30:58):

It was a place that started the revolution in the Visayas. So there was really growing anti Spanish anti-Catholic sentiments. So Patch, take it away.

Patch (31:12):

Antique was the hotbed of unrest, right? And there was a lot of anti-church sentiment. And that gave birth to a church called the Philippine Independent Church or the PPIC, which also is known for practicing Aglipayanism. And that church, in 1902, founded this tradition wherein they created the effigy of Judas and basically [laughter] this effigy has a very distinct feature. It includes, basically, the male genitalia. [laughter]

Carmina (31:58):

I wonder if we can find a YouTube video of this name [laughter]

Patch (32:02):

My gosh! [laughter]

Carmina (32:04):

If we do, we'll link it to the show notes. [laughter]

Patch (32:09):

So basically during Holy Week, there's this festival, that's kind of like a Mardis Gras kind of feel to it. There's music, there's alcohol. Members of that church, they light up this effigy of Judas.

Carmina (32:25):

Sorry to interrupt, Patch. But -

Patch (32:28):

Okay.

New Speaker (32:28):

- I think you're leaving out a very interesting feature of this statue. [laughter] The article says [laughter] that Judas's genitalia is made with [laughter] moist dark wood often, [laughter] unrealistically big. This is a direct quote from the article that we're going to link in our show notes [laughter]

Patch (33:02):

And this is why I told you, I did not have the balls [laughter] to feature this particular tradition [laughter].

Carmina (33:12):

And, when they make this effigy, it's basically full of fireworks, right?

Patch (33:23):

Yes. It's [laughter] full of fireworks. So the loudest explosion happens in the testicles. [laughter].

Carmina (33:34):

Very aptly. Yes.

Patch (33:36):

Yes. But everything, every part of Judas is, um, consumed by fire -

Carmina (33:43):

Except - [laughter]

New Speaker (33:45):

- except, except for his phallus. So it symbolically drops to the ground and anyone who wants to, can pick it up and keep it for himself.

Carmina (34:01):

Oh my God. I wanna go there. I wonder if it's still being practiced [laughter]

Patch (34:08):

But Carmina, why the phallus?

Carmina (34:11):

Well, this article does say that the phallus is a symbol, not just in Philippine culture, but in a lot of other cultures of being powerful.

Patch (34:21):

Power. Right.

Carmina (34:22):

Yeah. And maybe again, you know, referencing back to the fact that Filipinos somehow used the Passion of Christ as a subversive means for asserting their identity and independence, it symbolized the Filipinos' triumph against the oppressors

Patch (34:43):

And cutting off their power.

Carmina (34:47):

Mm-hmmm. I like it. [laughter]

Patch (34:51):

I can't believe you made me talk about this [laughter].

Carmina (34:54):

I found a way! [laughter]

Patch (34:56):

I can no longer trust you. [laughter]

Carmina (34:59):

I guess that's the Judas in me. [laughter]

Patch (35:04):

So now that you've essentially betrayed me Judas [laughter], we should end this episode. You know, we joked about childhood trauma and all that, but going down memory lane really gave me a different perspective on these traditions. Like growing up, I didn't understand it, some of the time I was afraid of it. Most of the time, I was very sad at what I used to witness. But now looking back, carrying this tradition is really important aspect of our culture and I do hope we carry on with these traditions.

Patch (35:43):

So that's our episode. We hope you join us on our next trip.

Carmina (35:47):

O siya, siya!

Patch (35:47):

Ingat!

Patch (35:50):

Thanks for listening to JeepneyTrip with Carmina and Patch. Logo design by Fred Agcaoili. If you want to listen to more episodes, please subscribe to our show at Apple Podcasts or wherever all find podcasts are downloaded. We'd love to hear from you, so please rate and leave a review. Follow JeepneyTrip on Twitter and Instagram. If you have a question, email us at jeepneytrip@gmail.com.

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