Pabasa: The History Of The Lenten Season Tradition

Here is how Pabasa during the Lenten season started in the Philippines

The Lenten season of the Catholic devotees in the Philippines includes the tradition of Pabasa or the chanting of the Passion of Christ.

It was said that Filipinos adapted this tradition from Spanish missionaries, passed down for centuries from father to son.

Traditionally, the Church’s style of singing religious songs was incorporated into the reading of Passion. Some devotees use string instruments to accompany their chanting.

It is done continuously until the entire book of Pasyon is finished. Pabasa could last from 1 to 3 days, depending on the pacing.

Gaspar Aquino de Belen wrote the first chan in Tagalog which dated back in 1704. He was a native of Batangas in the service of the Jesuits in Manila.

His book was titledMahal na Passion ni Jesu Christong Panginoon Natin na Tola (The poem of the Blessed Passion of Jesus Christ our Lord).

After that, there came another popular version of Pasyon with the title “Casaysayan nang Pasiong Mahal ni JesuCristong Panginoon Natin na Sucat Ipag-alab nang Puso nang Sinomang Babasa” (The History of the Passion of Jesus Christ our Lord that will set afire the heart of whosoever reads it).

An unknown writer published this in 1814.

Usually, Filipinos start the Pabasa from 6 in the morning until 10 in the evening. However, there are some chanting that lasts until the morning of the following day.

As this centuries-old tradition reached the modern era, Filipinos also incorporated modern tunes into the chanting.

Here is an example of a Pabasa with a modern tune.

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