Bohol local residents welcome Easter during ‘salubong’
Bohol map. INQUIRER FILES
TAGBILARAN CITY — Children with angelic voices sang praises for the risen Jesus Christ as Catholics in Bohol province welcomed the season of Easter on Sunday.
Many Boholanos took part in one of the most cherished Filipino Easter traditions—the “hugos” or “sugat” (salubong), a symbolic meeting between Jesus Christ and His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In the “sugat” or encounter, male participants joined the image of the risen Christ while females accompanied the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary still covered in a black veil.
The angel then removed the veil of the sorrowful Mary to mark the start of Easter.
At St. Joseph the Worker Cathedral Shrine, the “Sugat sa Tungang Gabii” started after the Easter Vigil Mass.
“The very first Easter taught us that life with God never ends and true love never dies,” said Bishop Alberto Uy in his homily.
“True love cannot be stopped. Nothing remains in the grave, because true love lives forever,” he added.
Residents crowded the church grounds to witness the “Sugat sa Tungang Gabii.”
Mark Tutor brought his wife Khim, and six-year-old daughter Chrissa Anne, to witness the event.
“This makes me prouder as a Catholic,” Tutor said.
He added that residents were looking forward to the event after the pandemic.
At the St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Loboc town, a child playing the role of an angel was hanged by the waist and while he was lowered down, he was singing the “Regina Coeli.”
It was followed by the singing between the other angels and the congregation present.
Other towns in Bohol with elaborate rituals of “salubong” were Baclayon, Loay and Dimiao.
Many residents spent Easter Sunday at the beach.
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