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   Good Friday: 11 People Nailed To Crosses In Philip

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Topic: Good Friday: 11 People Nailed To Crosses In Philip (Read 214 times)

Pau
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Good Friday: 11 People Nailed To Crosses In Philip
« on: Apr 16^th, 2006, 11:11pm »

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Good Friday: 11 People Nailed To Crosses In Philippines

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/8691905/detail.html?rss=dgo&psp=news
POSTED: 5:20 am PDT April 14, 2006

SAN PEDRO CUTUD, Philippines -- A 45-year-old commercial sign maker in the Philippines is among 11 people who had themselves nailed to crosses Friday in observance of Good Friday.

For him, it was the 20th time he's taken part in the extreme ritual. He said it's his way of thanking God after miraculously surviving a fall from a building when he was a construction worker.

The Good Friday re-enactments mark the final hours of Jesus Christ.

Religious leaders in the Philippines oppose the event. But the annual Lenten ritual has become one of the country's most-awaited seasonal attractions in two villages north of Manila. Thousands watch as the devotees are crucified with 4-inch nails soaked in alcohol to prevent infection.

An estimated 15,000 people are on hand to watch.

« Last Edit: Apr 16^th, 2006, 11:31pm by Pau »

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Pau
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Re: Good Friday: 11 People Nailed To Crosses In Ph
« Reply #1 on: Apr 16^th, 2006, 11:17pm »

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Briton chickens out of crucifixion ritual in the Philippines

SAN FERNANDO, Philippines (AFP) - A crucifixion ritual in the Philippines has proved too much for a would-be British participant who chickened out to the jeers of almost 10,000 spectators.

Seven Filipinos had themselves crucified in the bloody imitation of the Passion of Jesus Christ in the town of San Fernando, an annual tradition that has become a macabre tourist attraction.

The seven "Kristos" trooped to a hill under the burning sun carrying huge wooden crosses. Once there, they were briefly nailed to the crosses, hanging above the crowd for a few minutes before being taken down.

They were flanked during their march by scores of hooded, half-naked flagellants, who whipped their backs into a crimson mass with bamboo and rope flails, in repentence for their sins.

All seven were able to walk away unaided after their ordeals although one had to seek medical treatment afterwards.

Briton Dominic Diamond joined the Filipinos in carrying a cross to the hill in the town north of Manila, but when it was his time to be nailed up, he merely knelt down and prayed for 10 minutes.

Conrado Diamse, a local resident and former participant in the bloody ritual, sneered at Diamond, a British newspaper columnist and a former TV presenter.

"He is not sincere. He is just after publicity," he said.

Diamond was not available for comment and local officials said he would only talk to a British TV station that had exclusive rights to his story.

The crucifixions every Good Friday in the small village of Cutud at the edge of San Fernando were originally a form of penance by devotees wanting to thank God for answering their prayers or seek help.

One of the participants, Dionisio Dencil, said he had been crucified three times before but had almost backed out this year due to fear.

The 30-year-old said he had rediscovered his resolve after a dream in which Jesus told him he would receive a blessing every time he perfomed the ritual.

He said he was carrying out the bizarre ritual to thank God for answering his prayers and allowed him to recover from a brutal stabbing and beating years earlier.

His fellow "Kristo" Ruben Enaje, 45, said he fell from the third story of a building and vowed to subject himself to the crucifixion every year if he survived.

"I will do this for as long as I can, even if I reach the age of 85," said Enaje who has now been nailed to the cross six times.

The event, which is not endorsed by the Church, has developed over the years into a major tourist attraction and pulls in thousands of fascinated onlookers.

Local vendors took advantage of the situation, peddling cold drinks, straw hats, fans and even souvenir replicas of the bamboo and rope whips that the flagellants use.

Lucas Czarnecki, 25, a tourist from Poland expressed disappointment, saying "I didn't expect it to be a showbiz act. Somebody is going to make a lot of money here."

Fifty-one-year old storeowner Angelita Ocampo, conceded she was earning more due to the spectacle.

"It has become more for the sake of tourism. But for some, the real essence remains," she remarked.

A Benedictine nun, who identified herself as Sister Evangeline, said people should not be too quick to criticize the participants.

"As an outsider, its easy to say (it's all a show) but these people, they have their own beliefs and we have to understand where they are coming from."

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