KUWARESMA

   Kuwaresma a Cebuano term for Lent adopted from the Spanish word Cuaresma is a special and holy time for prayers and fasting as a way of penance. Over the years changes have been made to the practices of the Lenten season, but the focal point remains the same, to Repent from Sin, to Renew our Faith, and to Prepare to Celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Kuwaresma and lasts for 40 days, not including Sundays. Fasting and abstinence are observe on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, the faithful fast and abstain from meat specifically on Fridays of Lent as a way of sacrifice… giving up something of craving and luxury as a form of penitence.

The number 40 is the traditional number of judgment and spiritual testing as referred to the following Biblical passages: the 40 days Moses spent on Mount Sinai with God (Exodus 24:18); the 40 days and nights Elijah spent walking to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8); the 40 days and nights God sent rain in the great flood of Noah (Genesis 7:4); the 40 years the Hebrew people wandered in the desert while traveling to the Promised Land (Numbers 14:33); the 40 days Jonah gave in his prophecy of judgment to the city of Nineveh in which to repent or be destroyed (Jonah 3:4).

Lent is also a manifestation of the 40 days Jesus Christ spent fasting in the wilderness. Satan tempted Jesus three times and was triumphant over the devil’s deceits (Mt 4:1-11). Faithful follows Jesus Christ’s example by spending 40 days in spiritual discipline before the celebration of Jesus Christ's triumph over sin and death.

The sixth Sunday in Lent, commonly called Palm Sunday, marks the beginning of Holy Week, the final week of Lent immediately preceding Easter. Worshippers carry palm fronds to church to be blessed by the priest. Faithful bring them home and make small crosses out of it and place it on doors, windows, and walls, in the belief that fronds can ward off demons and misfortunes, it is considered by the Church as sacred.

Wednesday of Holy Week, Holy Wednesday also known as Spy Wednesday because this day commemorates Judas Iscariot's betrayal of Jesus for 30 silver pieces (Matt 26:14-16; Mark 14:10-11; Luke 22:1-6). This is also the day that Jesus was anointed with an expensive jar of alabaster by Mary sister of Martha at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper (Matt 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-19). Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume (John 12:3).

Thursday is known as Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday, and is a day Christians commemorate the Last Supper shared by Jesus Christ with his disciples. The main observance of the day is the last Mass before Easter which includes a re-enactment of the Washing of the Feet of the Apostles, and is followed by the procession of the Blessed Sacrament before it is placed in the Altar of Repose.

Throughout the day, the faithful observe the customary "Visita Iglesia" Church visit, which usually involves going to seven or more churches to meditate on the Way of the Cross; by evening this includes a visit to the Blessed Sacrament in the Altar of Repose.

The next day is Good Friday, on which Christians remember Jesus' crucifixion and burial. Biyernes Santo is a public holiday, commemorated with a traditional play of the Passion of Jesus Christ which focused on His Last Seven Words or Siete Palabras succeeded by a Solemn Town Procession.

The Holy Saturday, the Saturday of Holy Week, also known as the Great Sabbath, Black Saturday, or Easter Eve is the day after Good Friday and the day before Easter the last day of Holy Week. It commemorates the day that Jesus Christ’s body lay in the tomb and continues the observance of silence and solemnity. Preparations are made for the Easter Vigil and Mass, this involves the making and hanging of a dummy of Judas Iscariot in the old acacia tree on the foot of the Parish Church, the dummy will be burnt before the unveiling. Holy Saturday lasts until dusk, after which the Easter Vigil is celebrated, marking the official start of the Easter Season, the service start with a fire and the lighting of the new Paschal candle.  After the Vigil, a procession is observed leading to the Sugatan or Arkosan where church statues and icons covered with purple veils are dramatically unveiled. After the presentation and unveiling, faithful will go back to the church for the Easter Mass.

Sugatan or Arkosan is a structure made of bamboo poles forming like a gazebo with ceiling decorated with cloud-like pieces of arts with gigantic petals which will open when its time for the angel to go down from heaven to unveil Mother Mary.

      

Easter Sunday morning is marked with joyous celebration, the first being the dawn ceremony called the SUGAT (Cebuano for "meeting") that re-enacts the reunion of Christ and his mother after the Resurrection. Statues of the Risen Christ and the Virgin Mary are borne in two separate processions that meet at a designated area called a Sugatan or Arkosan, previously for many years at the seaside area near the pavilion about half kilometer from  the church. Statues may include any or all of The Three Marys (Mary, mother of James, Mary Magdalene, and Mary Salome), Saint Peter and Saint John the Evangelist in the processions.

The Virgin Mary is clothed or veiled in black or purple to express her bereavement. From the ceiling of the Sugatan which is lavishly decorated with arts to symbolize heaven, huge petals will open, lights will appear and a girl dressed as an angel will come out suspended in mid-air, sings the Regina Coeli, and then dramatically removes the black veil to signify the end of Mary's grieving. Confetti and flower petals are showered on the statues, the air resounded with pealing bells and fireworks, followed immediately by the Easter Mass… Jesus Christ is risen! Alleluia!