In the City of San Fernando, Pampanga, Good Friday is observed with the penitence traditions known locally as Maleldo. In barangays such as Sta Lucia, penitents take part in acts of devotion and self-mortification, including self-flagellation, as a vow or panata – practices that draw both devotees and onlookers and are documented here respectfully, as part of the city’s living religious heritage.
The photographs in this post are from Good Friday in 2010 in Sta Lucia, San Fernando. As the original title warns, some of the images are graphic and not for the faint-hearted: they show the penitents and the crowds that gather to witness these solemn Holy Week rites in Pampanga.
San Fernando’s best-known Good Friday tradition is in the neighbouring barangay of Cutud – see our Good Friday in Cutud, San Fernando, Pampanga photographs.