XXXVIII. SS-Files: Holy Week in Barasoain, Malolos, Bulacan, Part Two

The Barasoain processional tableaux of the Calvario and the Descent from the Cross are a bit too tall and too bulky to be comfortably accommodated within the church building, so they’re only brought over right before the processions start.  Which means that since I’ve not been able to join the processions in Barasoain in the last few years, I don’t yet have photographs of those – though I remember them to be vintage 1970’s and pleasingly classical in appearance and decoration.  (No Filipiniana styling for us Barasoain folks!)

I do have lots of photos of the antique calandra (funeral coach) of the Santo Entierro, owned by the family of General Emilio Aguinaldo’s adjutant from the period of the Malolos Republic, Don Antonio Bautista.  It appears to be a late-19^th century brass-on-wood structure; the wood probably balayong, and the silver-plated brass now tarnished.

The image of the Dead Christ used for this calandra is an antique as well, one of those “versatile” Christ images that converts from a crucified corpus into a corpse, with flexible joints in the armpits and in the neck.  Unfortunately, it can’t be seen clearly in these next photos – no thanks to the profuse but mismatched floral decorations – but it’s definitely somewhere in there.

And now we come to the mourners.  First off is Santa Veronica, with ill-fitting, too-broad-shouldered clothes.

Its solid narra carroza though is its redeeming factor.

The beautiful antique image of Santa Maria Jacobe was unfortunately dressed in a strange debutante / super-hero mix a few years ago.  What were they thinking?

And I don’t know if its 2007 make-over is significantly better.

Another beautiful image in the line-up is Santa Maria Salome, unlike in most other places in the Philippines, holding a broom, instead of a censer (which our not-so-pretty-in-pink-or-in-blue Maria Jacobe seems to have grabbed instead).

And yet another beautiful solid narra carroza gets to move her around.

The most dramatic of Barasoain’s Holy Women has got to be Santa Maria Magdalena, here mounted on her carroza:

And here seen in the carroza decorator’s workshop a few days before Holy Week.

The slightly-turned head, the face all teary and red from crying, and the anxiously-positioned arms and hands all contribute to the pathos that the devotee will surely feel upon viewing this extraordinary processional image.

If Mary Magdalene is dramatic, Santa Marta is just plain pretty.  This is a 1960’s image from the renowned santo-maker Mantiago Santos, and looks good whether inside the owner’s home

or mounted on its beautiful metal-applique-on-wood carroza.

A couple of new, undersized, and not-so-nice images are next.  First is Santa Maria Cleofe, actually redundant because the line-up already has Santa Maria Jacobe, who is actually the same biblical personage.  It was otherwise so unremarkable that I didn’t bother to take a photo.

Then we have Santa Maria de Betania, sister to Santa Marta and San Lazaro, who is represented by another new and undersized image in the line-up.  To its credit, this image actually looks better in photos than in person.

The last Holy Man of the Passion is San Juan Evangelista, mounted on a beautiful wooden carroza with painted panels of the four evangelists.

I also espied this image in storage in a near-abandoned ancestral home nearby and I have to say, the standing-coffin look just doesn’t work for proper santo urnas.

The Dolorosa (Most Sorrowful Mother) brings up the rear of the Holy Week processions.  The Barasoain Dolorosa is a smaller-than-life antique, all dressed in black for Good Friday, but in a tasteful blue for Holy Wednesday.

Unfortunately, this year, it seems to have been infected by the “pretentiousness bug,” and is now dressed like several Marian images in southern Spain.

Instead of devoting scarce resources to this tasteless vanity, I would rather that those responsible invest in a proper restoration of its now-battered-and-tarnished antique octagonal silver-plated brass carroza.

And for the Salubong dawn procession on Easter Sunday, the Dolorosa is replaced on that same carroza by an image of the Alegria (The Most Joyful Mother), which seems rather ill-at-ease as a processional image.  Its stylized and consistently-pretentious Castillian-style over-veil doesn’t help matters at all.

And so ends our review of the Barasoain Holy Week processional line-up.  In future years, I hope to do better and fill in the gaps and take photos of the images and tableaux that I missed, especially the Calvario and the Descent from the Cross.  Here’s hoping that continuous improvement proves to be in evidence in this, still my native parish after all these years of being pulled away from it.

Originally published 30 June 2007.  All text and photos copyright ©2007 by Leo D Cloma. The moral right of Leo D Cloma to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted.

Original comments:

jvlian wrote on Jul 1, '07 aawww,, hinihintay ko p nmn yung calvario at yung descent,, tsk tsk

jvlian wrote on Jul 1, '07 yung magdalena akala ko nung una eh san juan,, parang magkatulad ang marta ng barasoain ng sa inyo... at ano ang nasa isip nila ng damitan nila ang mater dolorosa???????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rally65 wrote on Jul 1, '07, edited on Jul 1, '07 Julian -- Ha ha ha, may susunod na taon pa naman para sa Calvario at ang Descent from the Cross. Pero magaganda nga iyon, sa pagka-alaala ko. Kaya lang, matagal ko nang hindi nakikita -- parang 2002 pa yung huling beses.

rally65 wrote on Jul 1, '07 Julian -- Nasa isip nila ang Pasko nuong dinadamitan nila ang Dolorosa. Ha ha ha.

jayroberto wrote on Jul 1, '07, edited on Jul 1, '07 Haha. PamPasko naman pala at hindi pangHoly Week.

arcastro57 wrote on Jul 2, '07 Love these write-ups.

johnada wrote on Jul 2, '07 Leo, my query got swallowed up in internet blackhole and this is anotehr go: 1. When the Thursday procession was transfered to Wednesday, what was the reason given in your diocese? I missed this transition so I was not able to ask. Some years back in college, I took a scriptures class from a Pontifical Biblical College graduate no less. He said that the events of the Passion: Last Supper, Agony, Betrayal, Caiaphas, Sanhedrin could not have happened in one night as there is not enough time. Is this the reason given for the change? I am not a big fan of changes due to latest biblical theories. All I know is that the change was greeted with jubilation in my town since we can eat meat on Wednesday All of Cebu had looked with envy to Bantayan for the permission to have meat on the Thurs and Friday. 2. Is balayong a black-colored wood? What do you think of mahogany for sculptures?

rally65 wrote on Jul 2, '07, edited on Jul 2, '07 John, 1. The change-over of the first procession from Holy Thursday to Holy Wednesday (or in some other parishes, Holy Tuesday or even Holy Monday), seems to have been driven mainly by pragmatic reasons -- the carroza owners and devotees needed time to recover before the Good Friday procession. Just a one-day gap was apparently insufficient. I can relate to this because even with the current two-day recovery period, I often feel that I'm still too pooped before the Good Friday processions! Remember that on Holy Thursday, there is not only the Mass of the Lord's Supper in the evening; there is also the Chrism Mass with the Bishop and all of the Diocesan Clergy in the morning. Then of course, most devotees embark on their Visita Iglesia from the evening of Holy Thursday to the following noon on Good Friday. Holy Thursday is therefore already quite a busy day, even without the evening processions that used to be held on that day. 2. Balayong is a deep-red Philippine hardwood, very similar, but superior, to red narra. It is extremely beautiful and is my all-time favorite wood for furniture and old house parts (e.g., floors, doors, walls). If by "mahogany" what is actually meant is "tanguile" (since the name "mahogany," like "teak," is used very loosely to refer to a wide variety of unrelated woods), then I would not advise it for use in sculpture. Tanguile is versatile and relatively abundant but is actually a softwood with wide-open pores, therefore it looks quite rough. It is best used where it will not be seen -- as framing within walls and ceilings, for example. It is also quite prone to wood pests, so will probably not last very long. Really the best wood for sculpture and decorative carving in general is baticuling, which is why Philippine santeros have been using it for at least the past few hundred years.

johnada wrote on Jul 2, '07 Leo, Thank you for the enlightenment. I am glad to know the change was made for the comfort of the people. Re balayong. In Cebu, there is a deep black, fine-grained hardwood we call bayong. I guess this is a different tree from balayong then. It is mostly used for floors and furnitures. In fact, my family inherited my great-grandfather's bayong aparador ( I will send you a pic when I get home). Old homes in my town liked to use the black wood of bayong and the yellow wood of tugas (molave?) in alternate pattern to create a nice striped look to the floor. I asked about mahogany because we have groves of it and we don't know what to do with them. What is the English name for baticuling?

rally65 wrote on Jul 3, '07 John, 1. I do think that the Cebu "bayong" is the same as the Tagalog "balayong" -- although it is indeed possible that the examples that you have seen have turned deep black from the original deep red or brown, due to age, as well as encrustation of varnishes, waxes, dirt, etc. And yes, balayong and molave are indeed alternated as floorboards in Philippine ancestral homes, in all regions, for a 19th-century "funky" striped look. So there you go -- bayong and balayong are really the same wood species. 2. Find out what "mahogany" your groves actually have. If it's tanguile, then it can be quite versatile in new house construction as well as old house restoration. 3. Hmmm ... I still have to find out what the English name for baticuling is. Let me ask around.

friendsofsanroque wrote on Jul 4, '07 you can now publish your own book :)

rally65 wrote on Jan 28, '08 An overdue response: I've checked and the scientific name of baticuling is Millingtonia quadripinnata. However, some sources say that a species called Decaperus macrosoma is also what is commonly referred to as baticuling. Sadly, I haven't yet found out any English term for it. Perhaps there is none, as it is not native to the Western world.

XXXVII. SS-Files: Holy Week in Barasoain, Malolos, Bulacan, Part One

I grew up and still go home to what was originally a residential suburb of the provincial capital of Malolos, Bulacan and part of the parish of Barasoain, that one with the historically-famous “Aguinaldo Republic” church on the old ten-peso bill.

Today, our old residential neighbourhood has become all-out commercial, as I am just steps away from a hospital, a Jollibee branch, a supermarket, and even a funeral parlor.  And it is sadly no longer part of the Barasoain parish, as the greater numbers of the faithful have made it necessary to spin-off parts of the original parish to newly-established ones nearby. And the ten-peso bill is no more.

Nonetheless, I still try to go to Mass in Barasoain Church every opportunity that I can find – it’s just a brisk fifteen-minute walk from my home (actually closer to us than our new parish’s church).  I confess, I have an emotional affinity to Barasoain Church – I was baptized there just thirty days after I was born.  My younger brother was baptized there too, as were my two nieces and nephew.  My mother is still an active member of various church organizations there.  So we’re really all quite attached to the place.  Even my father’s funeral mass was held there a very long time ago.  Point made, I hope.

Not long after I was old enough to walk, I would be accompanied by my grandfather to attend the Holy Week processions in Barasoain.  In the old days, these were on Holy Thursday and Good Friday.  When I was fourteen, my grandfather died, and my father then accompanied me instead.  Somewhere along the way, the Holy Thursday procession was advanced by a day, and my father too died.  I then took to joining the processions, a few times with my mother, but usually alone.

Even today, with increasingly heavy demands on my time and physical presence elsewhere during Holy Week, I still choose to attend some of this most devotional period’s activities in Barasoain.  And over the last few years, even if I may no longer have been able to join the processions, I still make it a point to scrutinize and photograph the processional images and tableaux there.  This is actually easier to do than in other parishes in the Philippines, since Barasoain is one of the few churches able to accommodate most of its processional line-up within the church building itself.

Beginning Holy Tuesday, the carrozas start making their way to the church, and park themselves in rough chronological order along both interior side walls.  Throughout the week, therefore, devotees can venerate and admire Barasoain’s famously beautiful processional images and tableaux of the Passion of the Lord in relatively cool indoor comfort.

The carrozas are brought outside only momentarily during the Holy Thursday and Good Friday services to enable more people to be accommodated within.  And even then, they are very easily viewable against the impressive backdrop of the Augustinian-style façade of the original late-19^th century convento.

It is from both within and outside the church that I’ve been able to take so many photos of these pasos.  Let’s view them now in processional order.

Like in most other parishes in the Philippines, the Holy Week processions in Barasoain are led off by San Pedro.  This is likely an antique image, with a white rooster (is it actually a hen?), on a newer circular carroza that replaced an old and deteriorated silver-plated-brass one that was circular as well that I still remember from when I was young (but never got the chance to photograph -- no easy-to-use digital cameras then!).

Following this is a vintage tableau of a compassionate-looking Christ and the Samaritan Woman by the Well, the latter made of a beaten (and wrinkled) metal sheet.

The line-up has a 1970’s-era Last Supper, unfortunately a rather folksy-looking tableau.

Here we see a strangely serene and static Judas Iscariot attempting to make a hasty exit.

There is also a very new tableau of Christ Washing the Feet of the Apostles, which first came out only in 2006.

All those early years of joining the Holy Week processions, I would walk right behind the 1960’s-era Agony in the Garden, as the owners were family friends of my grandparents.  Sadly, the encarna on the images, especially on the little angel, is way overdue for restoration.

There is a very new tableau of what appears to be the Arrest of Christ, rather too static-looking for my taste.

Barasoain’s Scourging at the Pillar is an antique and classically-styled tableau, with sufficiently menacing-looking Jewish scourgers.  Too bad about that large round light on top of the pillar – makes the three figures look like fortune tellers.

The line-up also has a 1970’s-era Christ Before Pilate, with a convincing coat of arms on the pediment above Pilate’s throne.  A servant boy is also on standby with this scene’s proverbial basin of water.

Another family friend, this one our old family physician (now retired), owns an antique image of the Ecce Homo.  This even comes with its own sentry on standby.

There is also an interesting processional image of the Desmayado, actually a new 1990’s creation, in a vaguely-primitive 18^th-century style.

The parish’s processional image of the Nazareno, or Pagpasan sa Krus, is a beautiful antique, sadly marred by its sampaguita-vendor treatment.

This image has at least one alternate head, which I saw in the home of one of the caretakers, with a wig swiped from some hippie somewhere.

And extra legs and hands, all with flaking encarna from constant touching by devotees, at that time awaiting restoration.

A newish, 1990’s-era tableau of Christ Meets His Mother is next, with a severely formal, no-nonsense wooden platform as its carroza.

Another recent tableau is Simon of Cyrene Helps Christ Carry His Cross.

And yet another new one is Veronica Wipes Christ’s Face.

Next is my all-time favourite, an antique tableau which, if reports are accurate, was imported from Europe.  For me, nothing in Barasoain, and in most of the rest of these blessed isles, beats the drama and the classicism of The Third Fall of Christ – La Tercera Caida.

Too bad about the smother-me-timbers floral decoration style.

We take a half-way break here to recover from flower suffocation, and eagerly await the rest of my native parish’s Holy Week processional line-up.

Continued here.

Originally published 26 June 2007.  All text and photos copyright ©2007 by Leo D Cloma. The moral right of Leo D Cloma to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted.

Original comments:

jvlian wrote on Jun 27, '07 inabangan ko talaga toh!!!!!

rally65 wrote on Jun 27, '07 O, ayan na nga! Ha ha ha. Pero teka, may karugtong pa -- baka sa Sabado, kung matapos kong isulat.

jayroberto wrote on Jul 1, '07 Tapusin na ang pagsulat. Haha. Nakakalimutan ko talagang huminga pag nagbabasa ako ng Leo Cloma.

rally65 wrote on Jul 1, '07 Tapos na po. Basahin na po. Para namang hindi niyo pa nababasa! Eh, kalalagay ko pa lamang, yung dalawa riyan ay nabasa na! Ha ha ha.

mike10017 wrote on Jul 10, '07 The Señor and carroza of the Malolos Tercera Caida are superior to Barasoain's but the latter's romanos and hudyos are definitely better even though they seem smaller. They are also more tastefully clothed.

rally65 wrote on Jul 11, '07 I agree, Mike. The Barasoain Tercera Caida is still my all-time favorite Holy Week tableau, anywhere. (Well, with the possible exception of the Salzillo Caida in Murcia and our own Pagkarapa in San Rafael. Ha ha ha.)