Visita Iglesia
Just came home from Visita Iglesia. I don’t know if it should be Visita Iglesia or Bisita Iglesia. This is my fifth year of doing the filipino Catholic tradition. Visita Iglesia is a tradition wherein you would visit seven churches. Even if I’m out of town vacation, I make it a point to do the tradition as my “panata” (filipino word that means vow or pledge). 
Visita Iglesia is not just visiting seven churches just like some who unknowingly doing every Holy Thursday. Stations of the Cross is also on Maundy Thursday and can be done either at daytime or at night. As far as I know, Visita Iglesia is giving honor to the Blessed Sacrament of each seven churches. Usually, the celebration begins with a mass, mostly at 6pm. The mass is followed by the procession of the Blessed Sacrament before it is taken to the Altar of Repose. So, unlike Stations of the Cross, Visita Iglesia will be done at night time ONLY until midnight. All saints and stations inside the church were veiled with lavender fabrics, lights are off to the main altar and the Altar of Repose is lighted and adorned with flowers.
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Palm Sunday… Palaspas
Everybody is excited to watch the much awaited Pacquiao vs. Marquez 2: Unfinished Business tomorrow. Not to mention that it is also the 487th anniversary when Ferdinand Magellan discovered the Philippines. Tomorrow is also Palm Sunday, it is also known as Domingo de Ramos.
Palm Sunday or Linggo ng Palaspas in our native tongue, in the Christian calendar, the Sunday before Easter, sixth and last Sunday in Lent, and the first day of Holy Week. This morning, vendors will start selling “palaspas” to bring to church and have it blessed during the mass. Palaspas is decorated and weaved palm leaves. We would afterward bring it home and place it in the altar. A filipino belief that it will protect our home from bad spirits.
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Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season. It is the seventh Wednesday before Easter Sunday. Many filipino catholics go to church to hear mass and have their forehead marked with a cross of ashes as a sign of penitence and mortality.
Traditionally, a priest marks each worshipper on the forehead, and says “remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return“, or a similar phrase based on God’s sentence on Adam in Genesis 3:19.
Ashes were made by burning palm or “palaspas” as we call it in the Philippines from the previous year’s Palm Sunday, is very symbolic. We, as christians, leave the mark on our forehead as long as it fade.
