It’s officially Easter Sunday in this part of the world, but I was able to get some really good pictures of Palm Sunday and Lenten rites the week before.

Below are some shots of palaspas (palm fronds woven and decorated to represent palms waved by the masses upon Jesus’ entrance to Jerusalem):

The blessing of the palaspas during Mass:

Many palaspas vendors were stationed around the neighborhood church, weaving and selling their handcrafted wares:

The company I work for happens to be one of those few places that still operate during Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, but I managed to photograph a Pabasa (a public reading and chanting of the life, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ done by Catholic devotees) that was taking place in a church near my office building.

This was taken from a high floor through a rather dingy glass elevator, which would account for some cloudy patches in the photo. As the devotees were reading, they also carried heavy wooden crosses as an added act of penance.

© Words and photos by Patricia Acevedo