Easter Sunday/ Salubong
Easter is the feast of feasts, the unalloyed joy and gladness of all Christians.
Easter is “an annual Christian festival in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus
Christ, observed on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox, as
calculated according to tables based in Western churches on the Gregorian calendar
and in Orthodox churches on the Julian calendar. Also called Easter Sunday. the day on
which this festival is celebrated.”
The Easter Vigil is the "Mother of All Vigils" and Easter Sunday is the greatest of all
Sundays. The season of Easter is the most important of all liturgical times, which
Catholics celebrate as the Lord's resurrection from the dead, culminating in his
Ascension to the Father and sending of the Holy Spirit upon the Church. Although
celebrated Holy Saturday evening, it is the dramatic Easter vigil liturgy that marks the
beginning of Easter. We are awaiting our master's return with our lamps full and burning
so that he will find us awake and seat us at his table (cf. Luke 12:35ff). All Catholics
should try to attend this beautiful service. The vigil is divided into four parts, The lighting
of the candle, Liturgy of the word, Renewal of Baptism, and Liturgy of the Eucharist.
The Paschal candle represents Christ, the Light of the World. The pure beeswax of
which the candle is made represents the sinless Christ who was formed in the womb of
His Mother. The wick signifies His humanity, the flame, His Divine Nature, both soul and
body.
Five grains of incense inserted into the candle in the form of a cross recall the aromatic
spices with which His Sacred Body was prepared for the tomb, and of the five wounds
in His hands, feet, and side.
During the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night the priest or deacon carries the candle in
procession into the dark church. A new fire, symbolizing our eternal life in Christ, is
kindled which lights the candle. The candle, representing Christ himself, is blessed by
the priest who then inscribes in it a cross, the first letters and last of the Greek alphabet,
(Alpha and Omega `the beginning and the end') and the current year, as he chants the
prayer below; then affixes the five grains of incense. The Easter candle is lighted each
day during Mass throughout the Paschal season until Ascension Thursday.
During the Easter vigil, nine readings are provided: seven Old Testament and two New
Testament. Not all are required to be read due to time constraints, but at least three Old
Testament readings must be read, including Exodus 14. These readings help us
meditate on the wonderful works of God for his people since the beginning of time.
The readings are, The story of creation, Gen 1:1-2; 2; Abraham and Isaac, Gen 22:1-18;
Crossing of the Red Sea, Exodus 14:15–15:1; Isaiah 54:5-14; Isaiah 55:1-11; Baruch 3:9-
15.32–4:4; Ezekiel 36:16-17.18-28; Romans 6:3-11; and Gospel reading Mark1 6:1-7. The
Gloria is sung before the reading of the Epistle of the Romans, and the Alleluia is sung
before the Gospel.
During this time the Easter water is blessed, new members are brought into the Church
through baptism, part of the liturgy includes the Litany of the Saints. There are also
those who were baptized, but haven't received the other sacraments of initiation. The
catechumens and these faithful are confirmed and will later receive the Holy Eucharist.
Afterwards the faithful are blessed with water and all renew their baptismal promises.
The Mass continues, with the special prayers inserted during the Eucharist Prayer. The
whole church is called to join at the sacrificial table that Christ prepared for us through
his death and resurrection.
Why Easter is celebrated on Sunday?
In the West the Resurrection of Jesus was celebrated on the first day of the week,
Sunday, when Jesus had risen from the dead. Consequently, Easter was always
celebrated on the first Sunday after the 14th day of the month of Nisan. Increasingly, the
churches opted for the Sunday celebration, and the Quartodecimans (“14th day”
proponents) remained a minority. The Council of Nicaea in 325 decreed that Easter
should be observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring
equinox (March 21). Easter, therefore, can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and
April 25.
Salubong
As is the case for many important feasts, the Filipino celebration of Easter begins before
dawn. Many Filipinos rise by 3 or 4 a.m. for a ritual procession called Salubong, or
welcome. St. Clement's parish, Angono, Rizal, known for its elaborate celebration of
Salubong, is featured here.
Salubong is a pre-dawn meeting of two processed images, one of the Risen Christ, and
the other of a still-mourning Mary. The statue of Mary, covered in a black mourning
dress, is carried by the women of the town along one route, along with statues of the
saints who had been with Jesus in the days before and after his death. (As is the case
on most other processions in the Philippines, the saints' statues belong to pious families
in town who care for them and showcase them in their homes year round). The statue of
the Risen Christ is carried by men along a different route.
Crowds of people join both processions. Their destination is an outdoor stage,
decorated for the occasion, where the images of Jesus and Mary meet.
On the stage, a ritual of singing and dancing marks the meeting of the images. Young
women, specially chosen each year for this honor, have the leading roles in those
ceremonies. They wear elaborate, ruffled dresses, and have a band to accompany
them. One woman, filling a role called tenyenta, dances a bati, a dance of thanksgiving
and welcome, waving a white satin flag that proclaims "Alleluia." The other, known as a
kapitana, sings a song that recounts Mary's role in Jesus' life. A colorful, giant paper
banana blossom hangs above the stage just above where Mary's statue is placed.
Eventually, a mechanism opens the banana blossom to reveal a young girl dressed as
an angel in white. She sings Regina Coeli as she is lowered to Mary's statue. As confetti
drops around her, she removes Mary's black veil of sorrow. Participants join in the
celebration of the Resurrection and the end of Mary's sorrow.
Origin of Salubong
Pedro Quitorio, media chief of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP), said the practice of the salubong began during the Spanish times. “It was
originally called the 'encuentro. ' The priests then organized this to dramatize the
meeting of the Risen Christ with the Virgin Mary.
Source:
christianity.com
catholicculture.org
catholicsandcultures.org
