A back-to-basic Holy Week

I grew up during the time when Holy Week or Mahal na Araw was solemnly observed. There were no distractions that time.

- 

There were virtually no programs on TV except Holy Week related programs and movies like The Ten Commandments and Spartacus. Even radio stations fell silent during Holy Week. Establishments like restaurants, shopping centers were all closed and the streets of Metro Manila were virtually abandoned. You had no choice but to stay home and think and reflect.

Some people go crazy during this time but it was okay for me. I was really the silent type of kid. I did play with kids my age but I also enjoyed being alone and just quietly sitting by the window of our Tondo house. Besides, there were a lot of activities going on during Holy Week. My mother would take us to different Pabasa; many families would go out for the Visita Iglesia, there were many processions in the streets of Tondo at that time, there was the Pagsalubong during Easter Sunday.