EASTER SALUBONG AMERICAN SAMOA | FILIPINO TRADITION | EGG HUNTING AND FELLOWSHIP | 04.09.23|

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How then is the Easter Salubong celebrated?

By and large, the present-day Easter salubong begins just before sunrise with two separate processions winding their way from different points of departure through different routes of the town. One group, consisting of men, carries the image of the Risen Christ, dressed in white and bearing the triumphal standard. The other, consistining of women accompanies the image of Mary, Mater dolorosa, covered with her lambong (black morning veil). At Sunrise, the two processions meet at a predetermined place (preferably near the Church) where a huge four –posted canopy-like bamboo or cement structure called galilea has been erected. The climatic encounter between the Risen Christ and his Mother takes under this structure. Spectacularly, an angel “descends” (lowered) from the “heaven”( ceiling or footbridge) of the galilea and hovers just above the mother of Jesus. After singing “ Regina Coeli, laetare; alleluia, Alleluia,” this angelic creature( small child in white garments) dramatically lifts the veil from Mary. The removal of the mourning veil reveals the white-clad Mother who rejoices in seeing her Risen Son. The choir then sings songs of joys and the bells ring. The Crowd applauds in jubilation as everyone hails the Risen Christ. The whole drama culminates with morning crowded Mass to celebrate the Risen Lord. To better appreciate the wealth of Easter Salubong , let us now take a closer look to its origin.

How did Easter salubong start?

First of all this joyful meeting when Jesus appeared to his mother after the resurrection is found nowhere in the Bible. Where then did it come from? It could have possibly come from the Spanish popular belief, probably from St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises of the 16th century, through Jesuit Missionaries of the Spanish colonial Period. It could have also come from the Filipino popular understanding. That the Risen Christ would have appeared first to his grieving mother is really something acceptable to any Filipino who considers it natural, in truth it is very human, for anyone to be attached to his or her mother. The logic is the following: if Christ appeared to his disciples after the resurrection, would he not have appeared also-if not, first –to his grieving mother to turn her sorrow into joy? To the Filipino popular sense, according to Rafael Rey, such an appearance of Jesus to his mother and thus their Salubong seems “imperative”. There is another reason that could have engendered Salubong tradition: the commitment of Spanish missionaries to teach the Catholic faith the neophytes. By their evangelizing methods, the Jesuits missionaries were in fact the pioneers in employing dramatic and semi-dramatic forms as effective pedagogical means to teach religion. Fr. Rene Javellana, S.J. commenting on a 17th century quotes Alizina’s words: “I have said to many times here that all these external celebrations, the music, dances, gatherings, fiestas, etc., is another form of disseminating faith, because among these people the faith enters more through sight….than through hearing, as Saint Paul says. “[2] One such means was by dramatizing portions of the Passion of Christ during Lent ( Pabasa, Way of the Cross, Salubong, etc.)to draw the natives to the church and impress on them the meaning of Christ’s passion.

In short, these three strands- the Spanish popular belief, the Filipino popular sense, and the creative zeal of missionaries to Christianize- which combined and interlaced, gave rise to the Filipino reinterpretation of Christianity expressed in the popular religiosity rituals such as Salubong. Due to the Easter Salubong, even a five -year child wil teel you that 'Jesus is alive ' that He or she have seen Maman Mary Sad before the encounter and happy or smiling after the encouner with Jesus. This is no doubt one of the powerful and accessible means of proclaiming the resurection of Jesus throug visual means and living liturgy.

[1] Rafael Rey M. Dela Cruz Jr, Theo-dula of the Salubong : a Filipino Theological Dramatic approach to Popular Religion, Don Bosco Press, Makati , 2014.

[2] Rene B. Javellana, “Celebration”in Wood and Stone for God’s Greater Glory, revised edition( Unpublished MS: 2007), 27-28