Hundreds of Filipinos celebrated Good Friday by taking part in a traditional penance ritual in which they are crucified and scourged to the point of blood to evoke the passion and death of Christ, a tradition that was suspended for three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, reports said France-Presse and Agerpres.

In several villages in the metropolitan area of ​​San Fernando, north of the capital Manila, residents usually mark the day with a ritual of self-flagellation.

This bloody religious practice, which is frowned upon by the Catholic Church, attracted about 15,000 visitors this year after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

In the cities of San Juan and San Pedro, hundreds of men stripped to the waist walked the streets, flogging themselves and sprinkling passers-by with their blood.

“You just have to pray, then you won’t feel the pain,” said one of the men, Darren Pascual, 31, who said he was participating in the ritual for his family.

Self-flagellation ritual practiced by Filipinos on Good Friday (Photo: Ted Aljibe / AFP / Profimedia)

A few volunteers even participated in a crucifixion ritual performed by practitioners dressed as Roman soldiers.

Among those crucified in San Juan was 66-year-old Wilfredo Salvador, who remained nailed to the cross by his hands and feet for several minutes. Before returning home, he underwent a brief medical examination.

Almost a routine for this former fisherman, he explained that he started crucifying 15 years ago after the Depression.

“I decided to do it. He (God) gives me the necessary physical strength,” he declared, believing that this practice gave him a “second life.”

The tradition, which has existed for decades, continues despite criticism.

Health authorities in the Philippines regularly warn about the risks of infection, especially tetanus. The Catholic Church, for its part, considers this ritual inappropriate.

More than 80% of Filipinos are Catholics, a legacy of the Spanish colonial period that ended in the late 19th century.