A Family Heritage
By relcap23
@florelway (23339)
Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
April 20, 2019 3:04am CST
As a young girl some 5 decades ago I had always remembered how my mother with her siblings and cousins would be busy during the Holy Week starting on Holy Monday preparing the image of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. According to their stories, our family was selected to take care of the Image. My task as a young girl was to go around and ask for fresh flowers and leaves.
It has become now our turn to take care of the image to prepare every Good Friday Procession. Unlike in the past,preparation now has become easier due to availability of materials and flowers. We would start the bagging of flowers as early as 6 in the morning and then bring the image to the Church Plaza for the afternoon Procession. There are men who makes it their commitment to carry the Image every year and they feel good doing it.
Did you know that after the Image is returned back to our home after the procession all those flowers are gone and what's left are all the leaves.
21 people like this
18 responses
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
20 Apr 19
do you mean people pick the flowers during the procession?
3 people like this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
20 Apr 19
@florelway okay, i understand now. i thought as the procession passed by, people were picking the flowers.
where do you keep the image?
2 people like this
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
20 Apr 19
They do the picking after the procession and after the blessing by the priest.
3 people like this
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
20 Apr 19
@hereandthere We keep it in our home. We dismantle the image after the procession.
2 people like this
@resukill22 (25050)
• Las Pinas City, Philippines
20 Apr 19
Yes I know that because it also happen to here, because other people beliefs if the god is alive again, then the flower is a blessing
3 people like this
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
20 Apr 19
They feel good if they can get the flowers blessed by the Holy Water.
3 people like this
@resukill22 (25050)
• Las Pinas City, Philippines
20 Apr 19
@florelway yes true that is why we always to their best to get a flower
2 people like this
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
21 Apr 19
@resukill22 Had you experience getting flowers from the carozza?
1 person likes this
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
27 Apr 19
@mayka123 it also become a bonding time with friends and relatives as we help each other decorate the image.
1 person likes this
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
27 Apr 19
After the procession the devotees or church goers pick them leaving not one flower.
1 person likes this
@SIMPLYD (90717)
• Philippines
21 May 19
So you have your "alaga" of a saint from your grandparents. That is so nice, but quite expensive, isn't it?
In our place the rich ones, or those that become rich would really have one and you can see how lavish they decorate and dress their alagas.
Imagine, one of them is the last supper. It was really quite expensive to dress the 12 disciples including Jesus and to decorate them.
I must agree, that those flowers are gone from the carriages, after the procession.
1 person likes this
@SIMPLYD (90717)
• Philippines
22 May 19
@florelway And you also spend for the generator's rent or the gasoline only if you have one already.
1 person likes this
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
22 May 19
@SIMPLYD the devotees prefer the old way of carrying the image. It's their yearly devotion and they have been doing it for decades. They said it's their secret of being healthy and strong.
1 person likes this
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
21 May 19
So you call them "alaga" in your area. We are not rich but my ancestors were famous then, my great maternal grandfather is the first gobernador cillo and my grandfather the first town mayor so maybe that is why our family was chosen to be one of the caretakers. Yes, it is expensive to dress them up but I keep the clothes safely so I don't have to buy new dress every year. We only spend flowers every year and lucky that my niece is a wedding coordinator and she gets good deals for flowers. 
1 person likes this
@arunima25 (93194)
• Bangalore, India
20 Apr 19
That sounds like a beautiful tradition and you must be feeling blessed that your family was chosen for a special role.
3 people like this
@arunima25 (93194)
• Bangalore, India
20 Apr 19
@florelway And it is worth appreciation that you are carrying on your family tradition with full zeal and enthusiasm. 
2 people like this
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
20 Apr 19
@arunima25 thanks for the nice words, it's also our family's pride and joy to be given this task.
2 people like this
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
20 Apr 19
Yes, we feel so blessed and it feels good to do this.
2 people like this
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
20 Apr 19
Happy Easter my friend.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (153544)
• India
20 Apr 19
The only celebration I keep up is Christmas
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@allknowing (153544)
• India
21 Apr 19
@florelway I am a catholic and used to celebrate Easter before.
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@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
21 Apr 19
There are non Catholics and they do not have this celebration.
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@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
21 Apr 19
@allknowing why don't you celebrate again. The Easter Mass is the most important of all the masses.
1 person likes this
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
20 Apr 19
We are predominantly a Catholic nation.. Easter is celebrated on Sunday. It is also the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
21 Apr 19
Thanks for the nice comment.
1 person likes this
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
21 Apr 19
We are happy to do this.
1 person likes this
@simone10 (54180)
• Louisville, Kentucky
25 Apr 19
@florelway me too. And I have also met friends along the way.
1 person likes this
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
25 Apr 19
You are right. This site has actually introduced me to practices by some culture.
1 person likes this
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
26 Apr 19
@simone10 you are right I met some who lives nearby and will be meeting up soon. I am also reconnected to an old friend.
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@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
21 Apr 19
Thanks for the comment. Happy Easter to you and your family, Wish you a great day ahead.
1 person likes this
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
22 Apr 19
Yes, it's also bonding time with relatives.
@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
21 Apr 19
Usually, people who own the images decorate and let the image be carried with the Good Friday procession. It is such a nice tradition. Yes, people tend to get flowers placed at the carroza.
1 person likes this
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
21 Apr 19
They believe if they mix the flowers with the incense it will have positive effect.
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
21 Apr 19
It's their belief that it will have positive effect on them and trust that the Lord hears all our prayers.
1 person likes this
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
20 Apr 19
That's nice to know. Do you have many images?
