__________
It's already the start of the Catholic Holy Week next week (Holy Monday starts on March 21). Rituals will start again all over the Philippine Islands - the Cenakulo, the singing of the Pacion ng JesuKristo (in Luzon only), the traditional but gory crucifixion scenes in Pampanga, the Morioners Festival (only in the Philippines can we find a festival amidst such a somber occassion). Already, Manileños are preparing travel plans of escaping to Tagaytay, Baguio, or the new baby of a select community - Puerto Galera.
At any rate, i'd definitely be trapped at home with Mom and my cousin. At least it's a perfect excuse to finally sit down and watch all the DVDs i've amassed within the year or so. JGC will be all home alone again, movies and cans of Campbell's soup ready. About my other friends, I bet they'd all be at the beach. Ugh. Terrible time to be at the beaches, what with you fighting out precious beach space with a hundred others, where's the fun in that?!
One must never make the mistake of walking beside bloodied people in Pampanga because as we have learned (the hard way) before, blood was splattered all over us on our way home as a group of flagellants passed us by. Arrggghhh!
Promises, promises. I hope God doesn't get tired of listening to promises.
"Aray! Dahan dahan naman!" - The more it bleeds, the better. I wonder how the anemics survive this?
I am featuring here some crucifixion scenes of two of my favorite artists - the surrealist Salvador Dali and Post-Impressionist Paul Gauguin.
The Yellow Christ, 1889. Paul Gauguin.
Crucifixion, Salvador Dali.
Christ of Saint John of the Cross, Salvador Dali. 1951
A huge poster of the latter hangs above my workdesk in our house in Cagayan de Oro, a very powerful piece of art showing Christ hanging over an abyss of darkness punctuated by an idyllic scene of the Sea of Gallilee and two fishermen. This is supposed to represent a vision of Saint John of the Cross, Spanish Carmelite mystic and writer, and a Doctor of the Church. As I learned in High School, observe that these three paintings do not show blood or wounds and yet somehow capture so much the power surrounding Christ's death.
__________
Currently playing: Johann Sebastian Bach's 'Jesu, beleibet meine Freude' (Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring)
No comments:
Post a Comment