[TRAVEL] 12 Beautiful Churches in Manila for Visita Iglesia & Translacion Holy Week Philippines 2017
The Philippines is very rich in culture and tradition, and one of the reasons why is because of the many different countries that tried to make us as their colony in the past. There was for a time, the Chinese barter trade, the Japanese colonial plot, the American regime, among others ... the longest of which is the Spanish era where we mostly inherited our language (i.e. most Spanish terms have been embedded in the Filipino language, ex. "lamesa" for "the table"), dressing, beliefs, religion, and many others that have been passed on to us from generation to generation. Aside from the beautiful natural wonders and magnificent beaches that our country has, one of the things we can say we take pride upon is the centuries-old set of churches we have across the country. Each of which is rich in history. And we need not look farther as we have quite a number already here in the city, Metro Manila.![]() |
Manila Cathedral at Night - Chai Chen 2017 |
For millions of us in the Catholic faith, the Lenten Season won't be complete without the traditional Visita Iglesia that is primarily set to happen on a Maundy Thursday. It's an annual tradition for me and my family to go and visit at least 14 Churches for Visita Iglesia but in the recent years, since my parents are already old, they weren't able to join in the long walks anymore. Last year, it was only my dad and my sister who did it and this year, I did it solo. On a Good Friday, we normally light up candles for a traditional procession in our parish church. Let me take you down history lane and share this common practice, that can be enjoyed in this post despite religious affiliations and beliefs that we all have! Let's appreciate the beauty and history of these beautiful churches that I've compiled and maybe, you too can take this route every Holy Week. Click after the cut to read more ...
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