291. A SELECTION OF RESURRECCIONS

RESURRECCION. Photo courtesy of Mr. Leo Cloma

 Holy Week in the Philippines culminate in the pre-dawn Easter rite called “Salubong”—a pageant that dramatizes the reunion of the Risen Christ with His Blessed Mother. The religious figures are separately borne on andas or on carrozas, followed by a segregated crowd (men follow the Jesus icon, women, that of Mary) and the two processions converge together, resulting in the meeting of Mother and Son.

PHOTO: JEJOMAR ROBERTO

YAPTINCHAY-GANA Family.
PHOTO: MARK POTENCIANO

Photo courtesy of Dr. Raymund Feliciano

One of the highlight is the undraping of the Virgin’s black mourning veil by an “angel”—performed by a chosen young girl dressed with angel wings. The Virgin is then called the Nuestra Señora de Alegria ("Our Lady of Joy"), and the joyous rites are capped with a shower of flowers from other participating angels.

DYCHITAN FAMILY, from 1903.
Photo courtesy of Jerry Punzalan Sagmit

Photo courtesy of Jvlian P. Liongson

Photo courtesy of Dr. Raymund Feliciano

 The figure of the Risen Christ, on the other hand, is also called Cristo ng Muling Pagkabuhay or Resurrecion. He wears a loincloth, sometimes with a cape or a sash, and holds his standard in His left hand and His right hand, raised in benediction.

Photo courtesy of Jose Talapagobra FB page.

Photo by Alex R. Castro

Photo courtesy of Dr. Raymund Feliciano

On Christ's head are tres potencias, symbol of His faculties. He stands on a cloud base, fancifully called "ensaymada" base, especially the antique ones, for the resemblance to the swirly pastry.

Photo courtesy of Mr. Leo Cloma

Photo courtesy of Mr. Jejomar Roberto

Photo by Yuu Miyamoto FB page

Traditionally, the images of the Risen Christ are small—antique ones seem to have a standard size of 39 inches. That’s because Christ is meant to be shoulder-borne on a wooden platform, which can be maneuvered easily to move back and forth, or to lean—so that the Christ figure can be made to appear like it is animated, leaning or nodding when it meets the statue of Mary. 

Photo from Nuestra Senora de Loreto picssr page.

Photo courtesy of El Rey-Guapo FB page.

Photo courtesy of Mr. Leo Cloma

The Risen Christ is then enshrined in the altar for the Easter Mass to remind us all of the doctrine of Christ's resurrection and of the reward of life after death.

Photo courtesy of Romain Garry Evangelista

Photo courtesy of Dr. Raymund Feliciano

Resurreccion of Villa Escudero

 On this pages are images of the Resurreccion, from different towns and provinces, many still used for the festive Salubong easter rites.

194. HE IS RISEN: Resureccion Restored

RISE AND SHINE. The newly-restored Resurrecion found in a Manila estate sale. Save for the staff which needs a new banner, the restoration, undertaken by Dr. Raffy Lopez, was done in under  a month. The image dates from the early '50s.

This 32 inch wooden Risen Christ figure came to me in this sorry state, from a Manila estate sale. It was unkempt and dirty, with an old hanky for a loincloth, with metal parts missing and corroded.

 Though not so old—it dates from the 1950s—it featured a refined carving style, the ultra-slim figure showing pleasingly lithe proportions.

The physique of Christ itself is noteworthy for its lean and long lines, looking perfect from all angles.

The face, gaunt and thin from his mortal ordeal, shows a calm demeanor, neither smiling nor exhibiting sorrow. This, after all is the Risen Christ, symbol of rebirth, of renewal.

Standing on a traditional cloud base, the Christ figure stands 22 inches tall, obviously made for home devotion. Its right hand is raised in blessing, the other holding a rusted banner, with the pennant missing. 

Upon acquisition of this piece, it was immediately whisked off to my santo restorer for diagnostics.

It would seem there was little to restore—some missing fingers, paint losses, unstable parts—but as it turned out, the santo needed a major overhaul.

As was always the case, I was sent updates through photos sent through my phone. After a month, the restoration was finished!

My Christ of the Resurrection—the central figure of the Easter Sunday Salubong---rises again!!

137. RESUSCITATING A CRISTO RESUSCITADO

An afternoon scrounging at the antique shops at Philtrade lead me to this small statue of the Risen Christ (aka Cristo Resuscitado, Resurrecion). It was such in a sorry state—one arm lost, another lopped off, its body caked with grime and dirt from years of disuse.

There was nothing spectacular about the softwood carving—the facial features were commonplace, the musculature, not very defined.

Yet, this figure of the Risen Christ—done perhaps in the 50s, or early 60s—aroused my interest: it was only 10 inches tall, excluding the cloud base.

Despite the lost wig, it retained tow of its miniscule brass potencias and a crude estandarte fashioned from a brass sheet and wire. I knew immediately that this was going to be restoration challenge.

The only thing holding me back was its price; for such a damaged condition, the price was rather steep. So I left the santo and thought about it for a week.

When I called the dealer, the santo was still available, and happily, the price had been slashed off to almost 50%. That same weekend, I took home the figure of the Risen Christ and figured how to go about restoring it. The first thing I did was to give it a thorough cleaning, and at once, Christ's distinctive features showed.

For this project, I decided to ask the help of Mang Kiko Vecin, who had a ready team of carvers and painters working in his Makati workshop.  He readily accepted the assignment and my wait lasted all of 3 weeks.

When I picked it up, the missing parts have been carved, attached and repainted. I wasn't too sure about one restored arm--it looked too thick to me, but I guess the carver just matched the style with the simple carving of the body.

Now came the finishing which I attempted to do myself. I had pre-ordered the jusi wig, so outfitting the hair was easy.  I was lucky to come across 3 mini-potencias at the Greenhills Antique Fair early this year, so that went to the head of the Risen Christ.

For the tapiz, I tore apart a vintage santa cape I had been keeping for years. A few snips and stitches, and I had the wrap done in a jiffy. As a final touch, I secured the tapiz with a small maroon tassel. The results are on this page for you to see. What I thought to be a challenging restoration proved to be easy and hassle-free. "He is risen...just as He said!" Thanks be to God (and to Mang Kiko Vecin!).

115. RETRO-SANTO: Nstra. Sñra. Del Pilar of Sta. Cruz

DEL PILAR VIRGIN, as she looks in 1954, enthroned at the Sta. Cruz Church, Manila.

The original Virgin of the Pillar resides in Zaragoza, Spain. The one enshrined in the Sta. Cruz Church in Manila is a replica of that statue, bought to the Philippines by Jesuits before 1768.

“La Pilar” has ivory head and hands, mounted on a carved wood beauty. She holds the Child Jesus, made entirely of ivory. The Mother and Child, which were once arrayed with radiant jewelry, sits on top of a pillar, based on a legend in which the Virgin appeared before St. James in that manner.

As early as 1743, a confraternity already existed in the district, thus the arrival of Virgen del Pilar made the devotion official. As a patroness of the Sta. Cruz district, she was the object of prayers, mid-day Saturday Masses and recitation of the Rosary. During novenas, the statue was mounted on a carriage and placed at the left side of the altar until after the procession.

During the second World War, it was taken from the baptistry where the image was kept and and stored inside a bank vault in the office of the PNB president, Juan B. Quintos.

 Returned after the War, the Virgen del Pilar now occupies the right side altar of the Church, which has become a shrine of the Blessed Sacrament.

Shrine: Sta. Cruz Church, Plaza Sta. Cruz, Manila Feast Day: October 12

101. Filipino Holy Week Practices: SALUBONG

By Armando P. Rubin
(Taken from 'The Philippines Herald Magazine', 17 April 1965 issue, p. 7)

PROSESION NG PASKO NG PAGKABUHAY, Pandaka, Maynila, 4 April 1926

One of the most enchanting of local traditions is the “Salubong” (meeting) which is actually a reenactment of the sequence or hymn for Easter Sunday: “Speak Mary, declaring what thou sawest wayfaring”. The entire procession at the first flush of dawn is an elaborate portrayal of “what Mary sawest”.

What takes place on Easter Easter morn is one of the most unique and beautiful dramatizations of the ‘meeting’ ever conceived. In many towns of Rizal, Cavite and Bulacan, just outside Manila, the colorful custom survives. Long before dawn, the village is astir with preparations for the spectacular event. Wit incredible ingenuity, the drama and pageantry of the miracle of Easter starts to unfold.

PROSESION NG PASKO NG PAGKABUHAY, Pandaka, Maynila, 4 April 1926

At early dawn, the “salubong” or meeting of the risen Christ and His Sorrowing Mother is reenacted. Two processions issue from separate church doors, one composed of males and headed by the figure of Christ, the other composed of females led by the image of the Virgin Mary. The processions converge on the town plaza, where the main rites take place.

Brass trumpets blare forth. As soon as the notes die down, a ceremonial dance called “bate” begins. This is performed by young girls on top of a platform facing the images. The dance is followed by the “tula” or declamation of verses in praise of the Virgin.

Immediately after the “birds” come sliding down along the wires, piercing a papier-mache heart which opens up to reveal a little girl or “angel” dressed in white, two of the birds glide along the wires onto a bag of confetti which they tear open with their beaks, spilling the contents on the dancers below.

In a series of rapid movements, the angel is lowered, lifts the veil from the Virgin Mary, is pulled up again while a censer is swung, perfuming the air. The Virgin Mary stands revealed in splendid glory, her rich robe sparkling in the sun.

The band plays on, and the little angel sings the “Alleluia”, all the while scattering rose petals on the images below, bringing this elaborate spectacle to a close. In the evening, the people flock to the last performance of the ‘senaculo’, which officially ends the Lenten Season.

THE SANTOS OF SALUBONG

The two principal images of the “Salubong” are that of the Risen Christ (Resurrecion) and the Virgin Mary (Virgen de Alegria).

FIGURES OF RESURRECTED CHRIST AND MARY, Pasko ng Pagkabuhay, Pandakan, Maynila.
Most antique “Resurreccion” images are small in stature, a little over 3 feet in height. It depicts the figure of Christ resurrected, right arm raised in blessing, the other arm holding his standard. He is usually shown bare from the waist up, displaying his wounds, and wearing an embroidered “tapiz”. He can also be shown caped and sashed, for modesty’s sake. The Christ figure stands on a cloud base to symbolize His rise and passage from his earthly death.

The shrouded image of Mary represents her at her moment of sorrow. When the mourning veil is lifted, we see her joyful expression, hence the “Virgen de Alegria” (regarded as the opposite of Virgen Dolorosa). She is shown standing, with clasped hands or crossed hands over Her chest. Most of the time, the standard image of the Immaculate Conception is used for this purpose.