Happy Easter!

Easter in the Philippines is 5 days long! It starts on Wednesday and ends on Sunday. They celebrate or recognize all the stages of the last days of Christ's life. This is actually only Catholics but there are a lot of them.
So starting Wednesday, they sing prayers and tell the story of Jesus on loud speakers until Friday at 3pm, cuz that is when Christ dies, then they prepare this glass casket with a very decorated manican (called: Rebolte) that looks like the dead Jesus and walk in a procession all around town.
Then all is quiet, till Sunday evening when they set off fire works!

This whole time they are fasting from meat so there are very few people in the markets, or in there shops cuz it's a holiday as well.

Also on Friday, a few chosen people in the very catholic areas will afflict pain upon themselves with whips and even crucify themselves. They believe that through this they come closer to Christ because they have felt his pains and that they are making a covenant with God that if he grants them something that they need (like healing) they will do something in return (like quite smoking or drinking or some other sin).
I didn't see any of this except small bits on the tv as we entered homes. But I spent a lot of time teaching how this is wrong, how Jesus suffered for US, so that we do NOT have to suffer IF we already FOLLOW the commandments and REPENT of our sins. And, if we wish to make a covenant with God, Christ teaches that we should be baptised by water and Spirit, NOT in our own blood, this is the true teaching of Jesus Christ our Savior and Redeemer!
Hope you had a Happy Easter! :)
--Sister Stephens