Filipinos let themselves be nailed to the cross again on Good Friday, 63-year-old steals the show

In the Philippines, believers have traditionally had themselves crucified or flogged until they bled on Good Friday, in order to reenact the suffering of Christ. Numerous Filipinos came again to watch the bloody scenes.

With these rituals of self-flagellation, believers want to remember the suffering and death of Christ. It is the highlight of the Easter week festivities in the predominantly Catholic country.

The crucifixions mainly take place in the village of San Petro Cutud, in the province of Pampanga, about 60 kilometers north of the capital Manila, but such scenes can also be seen elsewhere. Thousands of people traveled to San Petro Cutud to see ten men nailed to the cross and then hang there for several minutes. But there were also similar rituals in other villages, in the extreme heat.

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63-year-old Ruben Enaja stole the show again: he hung on the cross for the 35th time. The seven-time grandfather said he will continue as long as his body can handle it. He himself carried his 37-kilogram cross up the hill, a distance of about 2 kilometers, where the crucifixions took place.

The Church says it does not encourage such extreme expressions of faith, but in the Philippines it is doing little to stop it. “We ask for respect, because our tradition does not harm anyone,” says Enaja.