National (as of 2:43 PM)
Holy Week in Europe
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Filipino workers in Europe are surprised to find that Holy Thursday and Good Friday are normal working days here.
For those who have been here for a while, the initial shock is over and they look forward to the joyous Easter celebration and the long three-day weekend.
Unlike in the Philippines, there are no traditional rites and customs during the commemoration of Holy Week in Europe. There is no traditional “Visita Iglesia” because churches are closed by the time people get off work. There is no day set aside for reflection and prayers because most workers still have to complete eight hours of work.
Holy Week in European countries is a time of celebration and feasting. Malls and shops are jampacked during this time of the year as shops offer as much as 30 percent discount on products.
In Europe, Easter Monday is the most important religious event observed by both Catholics and Protestants. It is when almost all businesses close shop for a holiday.
Since Easter Monday is a big holiday, people do their shopping and groceries on either Holy Thursday or Good Friday to refill their pantries for the long weekend.
And this is not just because there will be no store open on Easter Monday. Easter Sunday here is celebrated like Christmas when families hold reunions and an extravagant Easter lunch is always planned in advance.
Easter in Europe is mainly for children and the young at heart. Children wake up on Easter morning and play Easter egg hunts. The whole family also goes to hear Easter Mass before going home to a sumptuous feast.
After lunch, kids resume the egg hunt where they dig and scavenge through real or fake grass to look for the painted eggs. The kids with the most eggs found not only get to keep and eat the eggs but also win a prize.
While some families use real, hard-boiled eggs for the egg hunt, most now use eggs made of pure chocolate. Every year, tons of chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies and chocolate chicks are produced for Easter. On Black Saturday, shops are full of buyers who do last-minute purchases of Easter chocolate eggs to be used on annual egg hunts.
Easter in Europe is celebrated just like Christmas as people decorate their houses with bunny figures, chicks and eggs. There is also an Easter tree, which is decorated with grass and eggs. Pastel green and pastel yellow are the colors associated with Easter.
So what do the Filipinos do during Holy Week? Some religious groups organize a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France. Some groups organize out-of-town retreats out of town while others hold a special Filipino Mass where the traditional “salubong” is celebrated.
Some Catholics even go to Rome to attend the Easter Mass celebrated by the Pope.
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
Holy Week in Europe
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Filipino workers in Europe are surprised to find that Holy Thursday and Good Friday are normal working days here.
For those who have been here for a while, the initial shock is over and they look forward to the joyous Easter celebration and the long three-day weekend.
Unlike in the Philippines, there are no traditional rites and customs during the commemoration of Holy Week in Europe. There is no traditional “Visita Iglesia” because churches are closed by the time people get off work. There is no day set aside for reflection and prayers because most workers still have to complete eight hours of work.
Holy Week in European countries is a time of celebration and feasting. Malls and shops are jampacked during this time of the year as shops offer as much as 30 percent discount on products.
In Europe, Easter Monday is the most important religious event observed by both Catholics and Protestants. It is when almost all businesses close shop for a holiday.
Since Easter Monday is a big holiday, people do their shopping and groceries on either Holy Thursday or Good Friday to refill their pantries for the long weekend.
And this is not just because there will be no store open on Easter Monday. Easter Sunday here is celebrated like Christmas when families hold reunions and an extravagant Easter lunch is always planned in advance.
Easter in Europe is mainly for children and the young at heart. Children wake up on Easter morning and play Easter egg hunts. The whole family also goes to hear Easter Mass before going home to a sumptuous feast.
After lunch, kids resume the egg hunt where they dig and scavenge through real or fake grass to look for the painted eggs. The kids with the most eggs found not only get to keep and eat the eggs but also win a prize.
While some families use real, hard-boiled eggs for the egg hunt, most now use eggs made of pure chocolate. Every year, tons of chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies and chocolate chicks are produced for Easter. On Black Saturday, shops are full of buyers who do last-minute purchases of Easter chocolate eggs to be used on annual egg hunts.
Easter in Europe is celebrated just like Christmas as people decorate their houses with bunny figures, chicks and eggs. There is also an Easter tree, which is decorated with grass and eggs. Pastel green and pastel yellow are the colors associated with Easter.
So what do the Filipinos do during Holy Week? Some religious groups organize a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France. Some groups organize out-of-town retreats out of town while others hold a special Filipino Mass where the traditional “salubong” is celebrated.
Some Catholics even go to Rome to attend the Easter Mass celebrated by the Pope.
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
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