Family Traditions

I was born into a family of traditions.  I grew up to weekend family get together's, Sunday was considered "family day" so we would all go to church and dine out together, praying the rosary, celebrating Christmas and New Year, and observing the Lenten season.

Being away from home, I miss being part of these traditions. Now that I have a family of my own, I also want to create our "own family traditions" that I could pass on to my kids.  During the Holy Week, I try to observe some of the things we used to do back home.  I remember doing the following with my family and remembering them makes me homesick again...

- We would do the Visita Iglesia or visit 7 different churches on Holy Thursday.

- On Good Friday I remember that mama would wake us up early and we would drive to Anibong for the Way of the Cross.  In the afternoon, papa and my brothers would attend the procession in Sto. Niño church.

- We would usually head out to mama's hometown during Black Saturday, and I remember there would always be "suso" or "kuhol"  cooked in coconut milk, and "biko".

- Easter Sunday was celebrated by going to the beach, but when we got older there are times when we would just dine out or we would go out on a road trip, papa would drive us and it would always be a bonding moment for the family.

Holy week may mean vacation or relaxation time for some people,  for others it is a time of recollection, a time to look back at how we lived our life, and repent for the wrong things we have done.  For me, it is a time to reflect, a time for sacrifices, and a time to pray and remind ourselves how Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins.  This season also reminds me of the importance of keeping traditions alive and how meaningful it is if we do it together as a family.