Pabasa 2010

Last night as I went home from work, my mother and our neighbors already prepared all the stuffs that will need and be using in our “Pabasa”.

And this afternoon, just before I left the house to meet my akachan (bf) and his sis (Abby) to start our “Visita Iglesia”, the Pabasa in our place had just started. I wasn’t able to join them coz I have my own activity every Holy Week. But I was able to at least take a picture of our pabasa this year. ^_^

Anyways, “Pabasa” (literally reading) is a chant-like song that is imported from Spanish missionaries and it uses “Pasyon Book”.

“Pasyon Book” contains verses that narrates the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus and was composed in the seventeenth century by Spanish missionaries, adapting the European biblical tradition to the oral and melodic tradition of the Filipinos. The first version written in Tagalog (Filipino language) was written by a Filipino Priest named Father Gaspar Aquino de Belen (a native of Rosario Batangas in the service of Jesuits in Manila) and dates back to 1704.

Pabasa is usually a family affair with the cooperation of neighbors and relatives, and is one of the must-do Filipino Festivites/Activities during Holy Week (Mahal na Araw). It is a 24-hour continuous ritual.

Traditionally, Maundy Thursday is the start of the marathon reading of “Pasyon”, just like what we did in our place. We prepared the place for “Pabasa” yesterday (Wednesday), but had just started reading the pasyon today (Thursday). Normally, the reading of Pasyon is done in the form of acapella-style but other devotees’ uses guitars and other instruments. But here in our place, we just follow the acapella-style. :)

This “Pabasa” tradition is very popular among the poor as they relate their present struggles with that of the sufferings and inequalities endured by Jesus Christ during his time.

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