2024-03-30 16:43:25
As bizarre as it may seem to foreigners to whip a pomelo and pour cold water over it, Czechs are amazed at how people abroad celebrate Easter. One of the most controversial traditions from the point of view of the Catholic Church is held in the Philippines, where people voluntarily allow themselves to be whipped and nailed to a cross to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Habit is associated with place San Fernando. Volunteers take part in a procession on Good Friday that heads to an artificial hill outside the city symbolizing the biblical Golgotha. Half-naked men with rags over their heads whip themselves bloody with belts and bamboo. Then, with hammer and nails, they voluntarily allow themselves to be nailed to the cross in honor of Christ. They hope that God will forgive them for their past sins.
In Spain a person is afraid to go out on Palm Sunday. Men dressed in white robes and pointed caps similar to those worn by supporters of the racist organization Ku Klux Klan walk the streets. The hoods are said to refer to the reminder of penitents during the Spanish Inquisition.
The residents also have a bizarre folk tradition the island of Haiti. In addition to religious ceremonies such as church services, processions and prayers, the tradition is also associated with the practice of voodoo. Hundreds of pilgrims make the pilgrimage to the village of Souvenance every year, where they sacrifice animals to the spirits and bathe in the sacred pond.
An unusual folk tradition can also be found in the country. Leading Judas in Stradouni in Pardubice the region is even on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The people of the village go out on Holy Saturday to dress the oldest of the minor boys in haystacks and reed hats. The suit symbolizes the traitor Judas, who betrayed Jesus Christ to the Jews. With a straw scarecrow, the children then go from house to house and sing carols. In the evening, they burn the suit together.
Check out other bizarre Easter customs in the gallery.