Penitensiya
Click image to enlarge.
Click image to enlarge.
Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries introduced self-flagellation in the Philippines in the late sixteenth century. According to the Jesuit Pedro Chirino, Filipinos took up flagellation with "extraordinary" enthusiasm.
Over the course of centuries, rural Filipinos took the ritual outside the church and into lonely clearings, caves and cemeteries. To prepare himself, the flagellant whips himself using a length of knotted rope with short wooden sticks or bamboo, each one tied to a cord then bunched together. Once his muscles swell, a village mate who specializes in incisions will make little cuts with a razor blade. The ritual last several hours and is followed by a rush to the nearest body of water where the flagellant washes himself.
Religious self-flagellation is not performed in the Philippines as an expiation of sin. Behind this ritual is often a panata (vow) sworn for a fixed period, usually between five and fifteen years, often during a time of difficulty, most commonly the illness of a close kin. Aside from the culturally important task of sharing the suffering of Christ, the flagellant is also sharing, and thus trying to ease the pain of a sick relative by offering himself as a sacrifice.
People interested in the history and the in-depth meaning of the flagellations in the Philippines should read the article “The revival of religious self-flagellation in lowland Christian Philippines” by Mr. Nick Barter which can be found here.
