Crucified men with Filipina pain and blood recreate the Passion of Christ

The crucifixion of a dozen people was again the highlight of the celebration Good Friday in the Philippineswhere the star has gone Ruben Enajethe carpenter who broke his promise to retire and imitated the Passion of Christ for the thirty-fifth time.

That tradition survives in several towns in the province of Pampanga, especially in the city San Fernando80 kilometers from Manila, where some 20,000 spectators They witnessed the bloody reenactment of the passion of Jesus Christ in the San Pedro Cutud district under a clear sky.

Unable to watch the play from outside or stay at home on such an important date, Ruben Enaje once again became the main protagonist at the age of 63, representing the messiah and being nailed to the cross in a performance that has been celebrated since the middle of the last century.

Called out “Christ of Pampanga” He remained nailed to the cross for about 10 minutes, like his companions on the Stations of the Cross, and later told the Inquirer newspaper that during that time he prayed that no Filipino would go hungry, at a time when food inflation had increased the hardships of .. many families.

The moment when they drive a nail into your hand is very painful, I can imagine the pain of Christ, he told the media after his martyrdom.

Last year, when the tradition was renewed after a three-year break due to the pandemic, Enaje said that it would be his last crucifixion because at the age of 63, it is increasingly difficult for him to carry a cross longer than 4 meters and about 20 kilos (lighter than the 37 kilos he carried on his first participations in the 80s).

But in statements to the Inquirer, he claimed that he was continuing the tradition of the community, since the organizers asked him because of the difficulty in finding a suitable candidate.

Enaje has been faithful to his appointment on the cross since 1985. when he fell to the ground from the third floor and did not receive a single scratchsomething he attributes to divine intervention, which is why he decided to take on the appearance of Christ, with long hair (now gray) as thanks and crucify himself on Good Friday, a tradition his grandfather was one of the pioneers of.

Enaje is the oldest, but not the oldest of the participants, since he crucified himself for the sixteenth time this year in the San Juan district of the same city of San Fernando. Wilfredo Salvador, 67 years old.

In addition to the two, eight other men took on the role of Christ and suffered the Stations of the Cross in the province of Pampanga, according to a list released to the media by the organizers.

Furthermore, in between 5,000 and 10,000 people were flogged at the celebration of Holy Thursday and Good Fridaywhipping them on the back until they bled to atone for their sins and ask for divine help.

The penances consist of a long walk with bare feet, or a whipping of the back with bamboo whips, which ends raw and soaked in blood; or carrying a heavy wooden cross on his shoulders.

The Philippines is the country in Asia with the largest number of Catholicssince more than 85% of the 115 million inhabitants profess this faith as a legacy of three centuries of Spanish colonization until 1898.

However, these extreme rituals, which do not enjoy the approval of the clerical authorities, appeared in the Asian country only in the second half of the 20th century, when the Spanish era began to be forgotten and the Philippines gained independence after being freed. from American domination..