This is a file photo of one of Bantayan’s Santo Entierro Procession. | File photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Bantayan will be hosting another year of the famous Santo Entierro procession, one of the town’s largest religious gatherings every Lent season.
Dozens, if not hundreds, will be joining the hour-long, solemn activity where a life-size image of the dead Jesus Christ takes the center-stage.
It is held every Good Friday.
The Santo Entierro literally means Holy Internment in Spanish. The term is also used to name the carroza carrying the statue of the dead Christ.
For this year, aside from a mammoth crowd, here are some things devotees and participants should look forward to.
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18 carrozas, more wreath bearers
There will be a total of 18 carrozas in this year’s Santo Entierro procession, the local government unit announced. This included the Santo Entierro itself which is usually paraded at the end of the procession, on board a flower-decked carroza.
The organizers of the Santo Entierro decided to hire more wreath bearers, wearing the traditional black garb, for this year’s event. From 10 last year, the number of wreath bearers for this year will be 20.
It was only last year when the procession decided to have wreath bearers at the front of the Santo Entierro carroza — a practice not observed since the 1980s — as the two-year Covid-induced hiatus enabled organizers to reassess the flow and presentation of the procession.
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Police to guard deck, mammoth crowd
In some instances, the crowd of devotees flocking the carroza can be uncontrollable in the hopes of getting one of the white, paper flowers bedecking it, believed to bring miracles.
This is why the organizers of the procession decided to ask help from local police to do crowd control measures and ultimately, keep the religious event safe and orderly.
In 2022 and 2023, authorities estimated over 100,000 individuals who joined the Santo Entierro procession.
Bantayan is a first-class municipality that formed part of the Bantayan group of islands. The town draws thousands of tourists every Holy Week for its religious and solemn activities like the Santo Entierro procession.