To beat the mass exodus to the north during Holy Week, we decided to hit the road on a Wednesday (March 27, 2013). Driving was reasonably fast and easy; reached Bolinao in no more than six (6) hours. We all passed our EQ as we successfully resisted every minute temptation to go to the beach.
The day after, Maundy Thursday (March 28, 2013), was when we joined Bolinao's traditional procession. A lot of Catholic images get paraded around town (actually, in streets adjacent to the centuries-old St. James the Great Church), creating a long throng of religious townsfolk following each image of their choice. That's what impresses me about Bolinao's procession. Many people from all walks of life, young and old, join it. And this does not include yet the groups of people waiting by the street corners to witness the ceremony too.
My sister-in-law's family owns one image, isang poon na saksakan ng luma, as it's been handed down from generation to generation. I was told by my tito and tita, the current owners of the "poon" that theirs came from Mexico and by far, they are the 4th generation owner-possessor-custodian of it. It's thus close to 400 years old, just a little bit younger (younger?) than the church itself which also has its own claim to antiquity.
I always feel some sense of inner and deeper faith each time I (together with my relatives) wait for the "poon" to emerge from the church gate, with the coral facade of the old church as backdrop (thank God, no environmental issue then), and walk after it along the streets of the town adjacent to the church. Seeing the procession happen and the sea of humanity joining it religiously each year confirms that indeed our faith is ours to keep.
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