Bantayan Holy Week Celebration 2011: A Unique Lenten Season

Unique Holy Week in the island Paradise
Bantayan Island white beaches

Bantayan island was considered as the Lenten Capital of the Visayas, devotees flocked to this island located just north east of the mainland Cebu. People visited Bantayan for a unique experience during the week-long celebration. Holy Week for the people of Bantayan was the time for reunion, gatherings, partying and fiesta.

The unique things about the way the Bantayanons celebrated their Holy Week was the food. Throughout the Philippines most Filipinos abstained from eating meat during the time of the Holy Week although not mandatory but it was part of the Holy Week tradition. In Bantayan they were exempted from not eating meat.

During Holy Week in Bantayan it was the time for people to eat more meat especially pork during the Lenten season. It was already a part of the Bantayan holy week tradition. The exemption from abstaining from eating meat was credited to the Papal Indult, a document signed by the Pope that was issued to the island during the time of Pope Leo VII in 1843.

Bantayan Holy Week
The original Papal Indult document displayed at St. Peter and Paul Parish Museum

People in Bantayan during the Holy Week were exempted from not eating meat. Fishing was the primary source of livelihood, in order to encourage the fishermen to joined the celebration and not to fish during the Holy Week a Papal Indult was issued. This document was still on display at the Bantayan Parish Museum.

Life-size carrozas were also on display during Holy Thursday and Good Friday, residents flocked to the town proper and based on personal experience as a native of Bantayanon it’s better to walk during the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday than to commute.

Prominent families in Bantayan had dedicated their resources for the adornment of the carrozas to be displayed on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. While religious activities were conducted in the town-proper, partying was also done simultaneously in the other side of the island, in the beach town of Sta. Fe.

The white powdery beaches in Bantayan was also one of the reasons why these virgin paradise island became famous not only for the local tourists but also international tourists as well, some of them have already taken permanent resident in the island.

Bantayan island was composed of three municipalities namely Bantayan, Sta. Fe and Madridejos. The island’s total population estimates during the 2000 census was more than 130,000. One of the most densely populated area in the Philippines with just a land area of 7 miles wide with 10 miles long.

Bantayan was not only known for the partying during the Holy Week it was famous also for it’s danggit and pusit and most of all the daily supply of eggs. Bantayan boasts off 1.2 million eggs daily production and distributed it the neighboring provinces and cities.

Tourists both local and international planned their vacation ahead of schedule for the reasons that during the summer especially during the Lenten season, cottages and hotels in Bantayan were fully booked. Visiting with a friend or relatives who were natives of Bantayan were advantage if someone were planing to visit this island dubbed as the next Boracay.

Bantayan Island Beaches
Sugar Beach Bantayan Island

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