Semana Santa sa Amerika

No one hates the cold more than I do. Having been born and raised in Manila—I have yet to get used to it.

Attempting to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday by trudging through sleet and snow would be my own version of penitencia.

I did not get far— as the snow storm here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania -- caused me to stay home.

So far this Lenten season, the only thing I have successfully abstained from is receiving ashes on my forehead.

Since Lent is a time of self-examination and turning inward, I was curious to know if I my 'Catholic Pinoy in America' experience was unique or if others share my lackluster involvement with Lent now that we all live away from our birthplace.

In order to find out how others observe Lent in the United States, I set out to interview friends from all over the country. I asked them what Lenten practice they grew up with and whether they still continue it today. I found that generally speaking, Filipino practicing Catholics observe the meatless Friday and some other form of abstinence.

In San Francisco, my friend Anabel Morelos gives up meat for the entire Lenten season. (She also happens to look fantastic, I wonder if that's somehow related.)

Ronnie Quizon, who also lives in the San Francisco area, remembers how, when they were growing up, they were instructed not to take showers from Good Friday until Easter Morning. The Quizon Family also observed Black Saturday by 'mourning.' They were not allowed to play music, dance or sing. They could not play games or watch shows that were not related to Jesus’ life. I seriously wonder though, how his family would have been able to remain quiet and laughter-free for an entire day given that Ronnie’s father is Dolphy, the “King of Comedy.”

Ronnie and his siblings still do these things today, but not as strictly as when he was young and lived with his parents.

Another friend, Regina Encomienda Alba, is able to maintain and continue the same traditions she grew up with. She and her husband Ed raise their children in Cerritos, California to fast and abstain as well. They give up fast food or any other food that might be considered a treat. The only thing missing for her as she observes Lent in the States is that there are no beautifully decorated prehistoric churches for them to visit in California.

"I remember that as being a treat and a good motivation to visit as many churches in one day when I was a young child," Regina mused.

The Filipino community in Delano, California does a re-enactment of Christ’s coming on Palm Sunday and Christ’s death on the cross on Good Friday. Marilyn and Larry Omalin, who are a part of this community, spend a quiet day at home on Black Saturday with no music and minimal television and computer use.

When they were newly married and lived in Laguna, they had their own version of Visita Iglesia. They went to different churches from one town to another on Good Friday from 5:00 to 10:00 PM. They regret that they cannot continue that tradition in California, since churches remain open only during certain hours, "just like government offices," Omalin said.

For the less conservative Filipino-Catholic, some might find themselves still steeped in the traditions of our childhood.

Maria "Teban" Miller, a self-proclaimed "masamang damo," lives in the Los Angeles area. Teban makes her daughter Chloe give up candy and she makes her husband, give up “relations.”

Speaking of which, Rick Ylagan shares how when he was a younger man, his elders always spoke of abstaining from "marital relations" during Lent. Before he was married, he thought—“well, that’s a non-issue anyway since I’m not supposed to have sex 365 days a year.”

"But I always thought, for a young married couple -- if a wife is so firm about abstaining from sex for 40 days, wouldn’t sin still occur when the husband sought out other options?" (Thank you for sharing, Rick)

Ylagan also recalls that when they were young, they did not eat red meat every Friday leading up to Easter. Rick Ylagan, who at 42 now lives in Chicago, says that abstaining from red meat is something he tries to do everyday.

"Red meat will kill you so you might as well avoid it."

Over in Wisconsin, Mike Azcueta reports that where he lives, everybody loves fish and chips each Friday of the year -- so the whole abstaining from meat might not really be considered a sacrifice. He observes Lent by trying to abstain from getting angry and forgiving those he has not seen eye to eye with. Mike also suggests hugging one’s in-laws as a good sacrifice. (Duly noted, Mike.)

Curious to see if the propensity to discontinue tradition had anything to do with location, I interviewed friends from the East coast.

In New Jersey, Joel Beltran continues a family tradition of seeking out a church that they have never set foot on, and this is where he and his family attend mass during holy week.

When Joy Mendoza first moved to New York City she was able to continue her family’s tradition of doing the Visita Iglesia because she had the time. She found it easy to do, "because churches are everywhere in Manhattan," she said.

Joy says that if she did not have to work so much, she would love to do that again.

Gino Tadiar remembers that as a child they would go to their home province of La Union and swim in the ocean as a way of cleansing their sins. Gino states unequivocally that he is not about to jump into any body of water in the East Coast this holy week as the last time he checked, he was not a polar bear.

(I would love to adopt the Quizon tradition of not showering from Good Friday to Easter Morning and I would also never cleanse my sins in a Pittsburgh river winter or summer due to its similarity in cleanliness to Pasig River. But I digress.)

Pia Valenciano says that if there is one thing she still follows, it is the no-meat Friday. She admits, though, that it is hardly a sacrifice since she loves seafood. She shares that the Valenciano family always went to the beach to get away from the city and to allow for quiet time to pray and reflect.

(Considering she happens to be the sister of Gary V, I wonder exactly how quiet that was. I mean there had to be lots of singing and dancing, right?) To this day, Pia always finds herself in her car driving to the beach during Holy Week. It’s a good thing she isn’t far from beaches now that home to her is Florida.

Truly, it was interesting to see how other Filipinos in various parts of the United States fared in the Lent Department.

I got the sense that Lent involves the practice of inner examination of our spiritual selve and giving something up along with prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Most Filipinos associate Holy Week with serious vacation time and one really quiet Black Saturday.

The Filipinos that observe lent in a traditional Filipino way, complete with Visita Iglesia, Washing of the Feet, Seven Last Words etc., are more inclined to do so if they live in a close-knit Filipino community.

Clarissa Cabacungan is a psychiatrist who lives near me here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Amidst serious snow shoveling and teeth chattering, I asked her opinion on why someone like me would no longer continue observing Lent like I was accustomed to.

She pointed out that for some, moving away from the predominantly Catholic Philippines makes one lose the social pressure of observing lent.

Plus, the weather in Pittsburgh does not help matters much either.

It got me thinking that perhaps if I moved to state that had milder weather (read: no snow), then my place in heaven might be set in stone.

I wonder if Pia Valenciano in Florida would take me in. I would never have two feet of snow standing between me and Ash Wednesday and a glimpse of Gary V. at her family gatherings every so often, would make a tidy little indulgence.

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