Holy Wednesday in Paete; a Moving Lenten Experience

Some several years ago, my dad would "aya" us to go to different old towns like Paete in Laguna and Baliwag in Bulacan, to watch their much awaited Holy Wednesday Processions. These 2 different towns have something unique to look forward in their Processions. In Paete you get to watch 3 different "Salubongs" (Yes their Salubong is held every Holy Wednesday, but this is a different Salubong). This 3 "Salubongs" or Encounters of 3 different images, first the meeting of the Sorrowful Mother and Jesus carrying the cross, the second Veronica (the woman who wiped Jesus' face) and Jesus carrying the cross, and the last the Sorrowful Mother and Veronica. This last 2 images move, as if they were real people. Both their head and  their hands move, thanks to some attached strings on the arms and necks of the images. This adds more drama during the "Salubong". While in Baliwag, you get to see almost 90 different "carozzas", depicting Christ's Passion, starting from his Public Ministry to his death on the Cross.

The Moving Images of Paete: Mater Dolorosa (Left), Santa Veronica (Right)

Going back, "pagnagaaya si daddy, madalas di na tutuloy." Eventually after those numerous "ayas" to Paete and Baliwag, we were not able to go to those two different towns on Holy Wednesday. In 2009 Dad became the PPC President of St. Andrew's Parish, making us unable to leave Parañaque the whole week. Eventually this year dad wasn't the PPC President. On Holy Monday of this year, the Old Formation Council of St. Andrew had a recollection, and most of them made "aya" to Paete on Holy Wednesday, because one of their members, Tito Tito, whose late wife was a native of Paete and because it was a tradition for their family to go to Paete every Holy Week. So almost all of them agreed on to go to Paete on Holy Wednesday. Come Holy Wednesday, it was our family, and a friend who was part of the Formation Council, went to Paete. 

We left Parañaque at 3:00pm, and we had to drop by my dad's college friend who was a balikbayan to her Hotel in Alabang. I was not loosing hope, that we would be late for the start of the Procession. At the time we were at Los Baños it was around 4:00pm, and Lo and Behold it was so traffic it made me loose hope that we would be able to reach Paete on time. We were still somewhere in Victoria, when it was around 4:30pm and I was loosing hope, I was pretending to cry with Tito Bong at the back. At around 5:00pm we were at Pagsanjan, and their procession hasn't started yet. Tito Bong said "panigurado sabay-sabay yan magsisimula kaya wag kang mawalan ng pag-asa." Finally we arrived at Paete at around 5:40pm and the Procession hasn't started yet, good thing the church was just a street away from the ancestral house of Tito Tito's wife, where we stayed at. We arrived at the Church at around 5:55pm, wherein the 4th "carozza" just left the Church, I was like "Thank God, we arrived here at Paete safe and sound, and we were able to see almost all of the carozzas"

Traditionally, San Pedro was the one to lead all the Holy Week Processions, with the different Apostles except for San Juan, who is to accompany the Sorrowful Mother at the last part of the Processsion.

Clockwise from Top Left: St. Peter, St. Andrew, St. James the Great, St. Philip, St. Bartholomew, St. Simon the Zealot, St. Jude Thaddeus, St. James the Less, St. Matthew, St. Thomas

The "carozzas" come out of the church, where in at the door they Introduce the images, by reading some passages from the Bible of that scene, while for the saints they read a short story on the life of that saint.

Here are the other "carozzas":

The Public Ministry

The 5 Gospels of the Lenten Season of Liturgical Year A

2 more Tableaux on the Public Ministry of Jesus, the First Miracle at the Wedding at Cana and the Anointing at Bethany

The Passion Scenes

Clockwise from Top Left: The Entry to Jerusalem, "Ang Pamamaalam",
The Washing of the Feet, The Last Supper

Clockwise from Top Left: The Betrayal of Judas, The Arrest, Jesus before Caiaphas,
"Ang Pagdadamit ng Puti", "Ang Pagpapahula", The Denial of Peter

Clockwise from Top Left: The Scourging, "Señor Desmayado", The Crowning with Thorns,
Jesus before Pilate, "Ecce Hommo", "Señor dela Pacencia"

The Way of the Cross

The Death on the Cross

The Bethany Sibling: Lazarus, Martha and Mary

The other Disciples: Veronica, Nicodemus, Joanna, wife of Chuza
and Mary, mother of James the Less

The Three Marys

Mary and the Beloved Disciple

As the Last Part of the Procession was leaving the church, I was surprised to see San Pedro entering the Church Plaza. I asked, "Tapos na ba yung Prusisyon at pumapasok na ang mga Caro?" Tito Tito, said that the first "Salubong" will be held at the Church Plaza, that is why the "Carozzas" were re-entering the Church Plaza. When the "carrozas", were already piling up in the plaza, they took another exit out of the Plaza, to continue the Procession. When the Image of the Nazareno, arrived at Plaza it stopped at the center of the Plaza, where the "Salubong" would take place. Since the Nazareno was already in the Plaza, the following "carozzas" cannot  continue with the Procession, they had to wait for the "Salubong" to finish. Finally all of the other "carozzas" arrived at the Plaza, except for the Dolorosa. The Dolorosa, passed through a street  near the Church yard. To add more to the drama of the "Salubong", she entered the Church Plaza alone. After entering the Church yard, they parked her "carozza" in front of the church and they brought her down from the "carozza" for the Salubong. A man started chanting a Poem as the Image of the Dolorosa was coming near the image of the Nazareno, as if the Blessed Mother was rushing to see her suffering son. As the image of the Dolorosa came closer to the Nazareno, a man and a woman was chanting as if they were the Blessed Mother and Jesus having a conversation as they meet on the road to Calvary. The head and hands of the Blessed Mother were moving as if she was touching, wiping and talking to Jesus. It was so Dramatic, I even had goosebumps as they were chanting. This chanting is similar to the "Saeta" of Sevilla, Spain. After the Salubong they returned the Dolorosa to her carozza, and they continued on with the Procession going to the Second Salubong. 

Oh bunsong minamahal ko

maganda kong bagong tao!

anong salang nagawa mo,

at ikaw ay ginaganito?

di ko mabatang totoo.

Iyang Krus na iyong pasan

bunso ay iyong bitiwan

at kita ay hahalinhan

ako kaya’y mabubuhay

sa lagay mo ngang iyan.

Aakuin kong lahat na

ako ang papapatay na

Poon ko’t ng mabuhay ka!

ano pang aking halaga

kung ikaw’y di na makita?

Anong aking pangyayari

ako’y tunay na babae?

hayo na’t sundin mo yari,

bunso ko at mangyayari

kung loobin mong sarili.

Nguni’t ang bahala’y ikaw

batid mo ang aking damdam

sampu nang karalitaan,

tunay ang mukha’y mahusay

dibdib ay puno ng lumbay.

Since we had an early lunch, and we came from Manila, we returned to their ancestral house to have dinner. Good thing the procession passed by their house. We had a sumptuous dinner; they prepared native dishes from Paete, which were really good. After dinner I asked one of their relatives if I may see the Friday Head of the Dolorosa (Their family owns the Dolorosa of Paete). I was so stunned to see the beautiful head of the Dolorosa. According to their 2000 Holy Week Souvenir Program, the Friday head was brought by the Spaniards to Paete, together with the Santo Entirerro.

Ulong Pang-Biyernes 

An Image of the Sto. Niño, also owned by their Family. This Sto. Niño
 is brought out during their Salibanda Festival, a festival to honor the Christ Child in Paete 

The Chapel of the Dolorosa

After having dinner we went to “Liwasang Bayan”, to watch the third the “Salubong”. As we arrived at “Liwasang Bayan” we saw the image of Santa Veronica, arriving for the third “salubong”, after some minutes, the procession passed by ”Liwasang Bayan”. Finally the Dolorosa arrived at “Liwasang Bayan” for the third “salubong”. The third “salubong”, is the meeting of the Blessed Mother and Veronica, wherein Veronica showed her veil to the Blessed Mother, which imprinted Christ’s face. 

While waiting for the Procession to pass by, I took some pictures of the Antique Image of the Santa Veronica

The family's workers, placing Veronica's veil, in preparation for the third "salubong"

Santa Veronica, showing her veil, which imprinted Christ's face

The Mater Dolorosa of Paete, blessing Veronica

The Dolorosa after the Salubong

As we were heading back to the Ancestral house, I noticed smaller scaled images of the Holy 
Week Images in Paete. I learned that they also have their own version of the Caru-Caruhan, like 
the ones held in Binangonan in Rizal. They process the smaller images around town during Holy Tuesday. 

Our hospitable hosts for the night, the Cadayona - Quesada Family.

We left Paete at around 10pm and safely returned to Parañaque at around 12mn. Truly the Holy Wednesday Procession in Paete was really a moving experience!