Good Friday Memories

There's something eerie and excruciatingly quiet during Good Friday's. It's different. Everyone seems to be holed up somewhere with only a few of us who have so low willpower taking advantage of no traffic to drive to the nearest open coffee shop. I am guilty and a sinner forever. I'm so sorry. So I just pray and try to bond with God however I can. That's the best I can do for now, I still hope He hears me out. 

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During Good Friday's count yourself lucky if you don't have work. With the global situation happening now, most of the most lucrative jobs really don't observe Holy Week Holidays. Thankfully I finished my work and I'm not required to come in today. Rest and reflection day it is. But I couldn't help thinking about my Good Friday memories, mostly from my childhood. It's quite different now. We're not always going to the province like we used to when we were kids. Parents got old and kids became adults with no summer holidays! It's a shame our youngest didn't get to experience Holy Week like we used to. Thinking about it makes me treasure my childhood more. 

1.  Holy Week in the Province

THEN: I'm one of lucky girls to have strong provincial roots. When we were kids, if we spend our Christmas in my mom's side in Cebu, we would definitely have to allot our Holy Week to Roxas, Capiz! Yes, the city of Aswangs as they say, which is a complete total bullshit even according to my dad. I love Roxas. It might not be as modern and progressive as Cebu, but it has its charms. Where can you get fresh sea food delivered straight from the net to our house? Fresh air, direct access to the beach and peace and quiet found only in provinces. Everything was paid for by our parents. All we had to do were wake up on time and pack our bags. I don't remember a time I spent Holy Week in Manila as a child. The happiness ended on my first job. 

NOW: House arrest is a good option. Sa bahay nalang kung pwede. With all our adult responsibilities, we would want to unwind for sure, but most of the times sleep and catching up on books are better options. Why spend and go through the road stress? Nakakatamad byumahe and most especially gastos pa. Peak rates lahat! When everyone else is holed up in their homes or in far flung resorts that means no metro traffic - seems a way better option. 

2. Procession

THEN: When I was a kid, I was curious of what adults do and I would want to participate all the time. For some reason, the serious adult stuff is repackaged into something fun in the eyes of a child. Long processional walks with candles in the streets of Roxas Capitol is a strong memory. I would walk with my cousins, holding the hand of my aunts or uncles and stopping by for some soda in the nearby store as a reward.  I was happy then. I found the procession so enigmatic. I didn't feel the distance. I wanted to go and be a part of it.

NOW: I don't really walk that far now. I hate walking. And I can't remember the last time I walked so far or joined a procession. The last serious walk I did was for EDSA 2. I walked from Shaw to the Shrine when Edsa was closed and MRT was impossible. And I don't intend to do any processions any time soon. 

3. Bawal Mag-Ingay (No Unnecessary noise)

THEN: When we're in the province, our grandparents and old-school aunts and uncles would forbid us to laugh, shriek and have fun on Good Friday. No one is allowed to swim and go out. No one is allowed to watch TV unless it's a movie something about God. We do have Betamax tapes of The 10 Commandments, which we would watch over and over again or Betamax tapes of the Story Book Bible cartoons. As kids, that seemed fine. We didn't question it. We saw it as a fun challenge even. And when we found ourselves speaking too loud, we restrained ourselves. 

NOW: Internet and cable are always on. We've learned how to appreciate reading. IPOD is a nice breakaway. And if we want to unwind and quickly step out, our parents would go against it because of waste in gas and stress, but we would eventually have our own way.

4. "It's Good Friday, walang bukas. Walang Jollibee!!"

THEN: We ate what was served at home on a Good Friday. It's been staged. They tend to force fast us. In Roxas, we didn't really feel it was fasting. If we would have crabs, oysters and shrimps on a normal day. But on a good friday, we'd have Bangus, Tilapia or mussels. Since I loved seafood, it was still like a treat everyday. We just had to avoid meat and certainly no Jollibee or McDonald's. We really knew it was closed. We never even asked. 

NOW: Since we don't get to go to the province, our seafood isn't fresh and I have developed this abhorrence to vegetables. My parents do their own brand of fasting which are purely veggies. They don't force us to eat, but they don't give in to our whimpers either. Magutom ka is the strategy. So I became resourceful since my mind is in my stomach. Seriously, I could name a few Jollibee, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Starbucks and Yellow Cab and North Park open 24 hours on a Good Friday. 

5. "Mag-Fast ka, one meal a day."

THEN: I can do it. I've done it before, one huge mean with really small snacks like Sky Flakes and Eight O'Clock. Being kids, they'd cut us some slack sometimes so it wasn't that big of a deal. 

NOW: Usually they want us to take advantage of this day to lose weight. Fast to lose weight and do guilt trip after. As adults, we develop our own set of thinking, our own principles. I think fasting is relevant. Fasting or Abstinence to something that gives you worldly pleasure is what matters. If you're a natural glutton, well abstain from too much food, that is a sacrifice. If you love alcohol, abstain from it. No vices. No worldly pleasures. Well my sister is proud, she is not drinking today, on a Friday at that which is very very rare. That is her fasting/abstinence.