LOOK: Paete’s Cenaculo

Some of the participants in this year’s staging of the passion play in Paete.

PAETE, Laguna—The town of Paete, Laguna, founded in 1580, and known for its artistic woodcarvings and skilled artisans, held its Lenten tradition of the Cenaculo, or the Passion of Christ, starting at one hour past noon of Maundy Thursday.

Some of the participants in this year’s staging of the passion play in Paete.

An annual tradition that started 72 years ago, the street drama will culminate in Christ’s crucifixion on a makeshift stage adjacent to the town’s Catholic church, which was originally built in 1646.

Participants in the Cenaculo are ordinary townfolks with varying roles and responsibilities in staging the passion play that attracts many local tourists who flock to Paete for their Visita Iglesia tradition during the Holy Week.