The Death of Tradition

Okay so it's like this. Today we went to Orani, Bataan to visit relatives, and because my mom has this panata to join in the Good Friday procession. She's been doing it for the past six years, and her panata extends up to a seventh year.

I was excited to be going there, not because I was bringing my girlfriend along. Not because we were lugging with us two of our four dogs, not because I would be seeing my relatives after a year. Nope. I was excited because I would have a chance to finally take pictures of each of the carosas of the procession.

For some background, I tried taking pictures last year. But I ran out of battery. This year I came prepared. I fully charged my batteries, I was charging another set of batteries borrowed from my dad (which I eventually forgot to bring), and I had the camera settings to a high resolution. So. Here we go.

Wrong. Turns out the procession didn't go past the house of my aunt this year. After 25 friggin' years of passing right in front of the house they decide to cut the procession short. Why? How should I know, I'm not the parish priest.

So what does that have to do with the title of my current rant? Nothing. I was digressing even before I could get to my rant.

So for the past how many years I've noticed a decline in the seriousness of the Good Friday Procession. When I was young, before even reaching a decade in age, the procession would go along smoothly. Two neat lines, carosas following each other closely, people quiet in prayer. Now?

Now there are no lines. The carosas have to play catch up, and most of the people who join the procession are now barkadas out for a good time. Noisy, laughing, not praying. Just another damn walk in the park. If you took out all the people who joined the procession for the wrong reasons, you'd end up with the priest, my mom, and a handful of people. Sad.

The procession was a great tradition. The carosas showed various stages in Christ's passion. If continued correctly it would even be a highlight to Lenten celebrations. But the new generation appears to be killing that tradition. My generation. Oh well.

Rather than realizing the importance of such an event people now use that event as a chance to go hang out, have fun, be seen, whatever. Whatever, except pray. Sad.