Each time I hear the name of the infamous Herod, the Great, two things come to mind. First, his obsession with everything grand and lavish. Second, the Andrew Loyd Webber and Tim Rice’s rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar’s (JCS) wackiest musical number in syncopated rhythm or the ragtime style. In JCS, the musical captured Herod’s…
Tag: Catholicism
The Holy Land Tour 2022 (Day 5): En Route Jerusalem (Haifa)
On the fifth day of our Holy Land Tour, we left the Northern District for Jerusalem en route the Modern City of Haifa, the Ancient City of Caesarea, and the Village of Eir Karem, our gateway to Jerusalem. For this trip, we went to see the Stella Maris Church on top of Mount Carmel. We…
The Holy Land Tour 2022 (Day 4): Nazareth, Israel
Why Nazareth is important to Christian / Catholic pilgrims today? Nazareth is described in the Gospel of Luke as a town in Galilee and the hometown of Mary, mother of Jesus. Although it was not explicitly mentioned in the same Gospel that Joseph was from Nazareth, it can be inferred that it was also his…
The Holy Land Tour 2022 (Day 4): Cana, Israel
Kaf’r Kanna, popular in the modern version of the Scriptures as Cana is a small Galilean town in the Northern District of Israel. Christians and Catholic pilgrims and devotees associate this modern village of Cana as the site where Jesus turned water into wine. In the Christian tradition, this is the first miracle that Jesus…
The Holy Land Tour 2022 (Day 4): Tabor Mountain
The fourth day is a continuation of the journeys of Jesus and the Apostles in North Israel. This time, there is a focus on the presence and role of Mary, Jesus’ mother in Jesus’s life and ministry. To reiterate, the sites that we visited on Day 4 were collectively part of Israel’s The Galilee Journeys…
The Holy Land Tour 2022 (Day 3): Madaba and the End of the Jordan leg
Petra was very tiring but it was also really fantastic. We arrived back at Amman around 5:30 in the afternoon – too early for Dinner. Our guide asked us to take some rest or do some walking nearby. As soon as I got inside the hotel room, I immediately started packing my stuff for the…
Siquijor: A Hidden Paradizzze in the Philippines (The Final Part: The Lazi Church)
Currently, there are four churches in the Philippines, inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites: San Agustin Church inside Intramuros in Manila, Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte, Santa Maria in Ilocos Sur, and Miag-ao Church in Iloilo. Collectively, these churches are known The Baroque Churches in the Philippines. These churches possess cultural significance and influence on…
In Angeles, there’s a funeral of the Dead Christ every Good Friday
Every Good Friday, the congregation of the Shrine of the Holy Sepulcher (locally known as Apung Mamacalulu or the dead Christ) in Lourdes Sur, Angeles City mourn the death of Christ right after the Catholic Church-endorsed ritual of the Veneration of the Cross. At 3 p.m., the Veneration of the Cross commences and is headed by the…
Bulating
Barangay Malbog prides itself as the home of the Bulating, or the tradition of parading the streets of the main town of Boac, Marinduque with participants covered in mud as a form of panata. Anyone from the barangay can join the Bulating. There is no age limit, as long as they are able to walk. As such, children…
Seduced by Cosmopolitanism
Some social scientists look at cosmopolitanism as a political concept. Others look at it as a world-view or a disposition. Some believe that cosmopolitanism is an actual and existing reality. Others view it as the other side or a critique of globalization. My fascination with cosmopolitanism is, of course, from the various academic conceptions –…
Tanghal Kultura 