or Church Visits.
It has been a tradition of our family to visit churches every Holy Thursday and do The Way of the Cross. Since we live in the south of the Philippines, we usually go to Tagaytay and Batangas or just near our place in Laguna. This year, my family decided to take a trip down south of Luzon to visit ancient churches in Laguna and the underground cemetery in Nagcarlan. We we're only able to visit 5 churches (ideally it should be 7 =D). We we're on the road for 12 hours! Nonetheless, our Visit Iglesia this year is solemn and worth the effort.
Early morning my problem is what to wear. Undeniably, Filipinos are still strict when it comes to attire during church visits. Some churches do not allow people wearing slippers, shorts or sleeveless tops to take the communion or even enter the church. And so I decided to wear a comfy, on-the-go, "proper" church attire.
my brother's Noox shirt, Old navy leggings, rainbow stretch belt, TOMS shoes, Marc Jacobs bag, aviator shades
can't find the angle where the alien has its eyes closed and semi-open for the picture.its always just open for the pics.weird
I really find it awkward to pose and take pictures inside churches or wherever there are religious figures,haha!
benefits of E-pass (South Luzon Expressway)
trying to study for our Pharmacology finals, boo!
Lunch stop-over, yum!!!
To bypass the traffic in Los Banos, we passed by the Lake side of Laguna de Bay
Mt. Banahaw?
Victoria, Laguna
(I'm scared of birds,these ducks gross me out,but some ducks are new so I took a pic for my dad)
1. Church of Pila
behind the altar,you can touch the belt used by St. Anthony de Padua
2. Church of Magdalena
on Holy week, the religious figures are covered with violet cloth
3. Church of Liliw
a famous restaurant in the heart of the Philippines' Slippers capital
4. Church of Nagcarlan
***Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery***
Holy Week Pabasa or Pasyon
I was the first one in the group to go down the underground cemetry. I was going down the stairs quiet quickly and I was stunted by the coldness of the place. I turned around and walked away,haha! And the cemetery guard quickly said that it is cold simply because it is in the basement. It was eerie down there, really! We prayed and I silently asked permission that I'll take pictures.
I took one close-up picture of a gravestone but I'm scared to post it here. Haha! Most bodies were dated around 1940's. This place was reported to be a meeting place for the Philippine revolutionaries during wartime.
The graves at the front area are dedicated to priests
going up now
5. Church of Pagsanjan
ooppssiiee,i forgot to take a picture of the facade so here's a photo from http://www.waypoints.ph
Most Filipinos take the Holy week as an opportunity to relax and probably even go to beach (aka Boracay). I have nothing against that, I just hope that we all commemorate the real reason and the value of these HOLYdays.
I want to visit churches up North, how about next year,eh? =D
