Where Did The Pasyon Go?

That is not a misspelling. I am not referring to something hot and oh lalala! I am referring to the Passion of Christ and the local tradition of Pabasa or Pasyon where devotees sing instead of read the verse of the life in the suffering of Christ.

If I remember it right, there were still pasyonistas I overhear loudly singing but now I don’t hear one. Instead I hear the neighbors loudspeaker in front of our house, the rock band practice of my other neighbor on the right side and the out-of-tune videoke singing of my other neighbor on the left.

I no longer here the “Ang unang letra’y Asuncion, ere naman Resurection, and ikatlo’y Adorasyon…” (hah! I still here the tune in my head!) or its other version “Ang unang le- ang unang letra’y Asuncion…” I wonder who guessed the tunes of what I am singing in my head now as I type. Haha!

Anyways, Pasyon or Pabasa is a way Christian devotees observe the Lenten season through singing, another way to observe the Holy Week is through the Cenaculo or re-enactment of the Passion of Christ through actors and actresses on stage.

“Pabasa ng Pasyon” (chant reading of the Passion of Christ) is a practice done in communities, churches and chapels.
Traditionally, Holy Monday marks the start of the marathon reading of the “Pasyon“.
The Pasyon book contains verses that narrate the story of the life, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The text itself is composed of stanzas consisting of five lines each.
The text of the Pasyon first appeared in 1704 and was written by Filipino priest Gaspar Aquino de Belen of Rosario, Batangas. De Belen’s book was called “Ang Mahal Na Passion Ni JesuCristong Panginoon Natin Na Tola.”
This tradition is very popular among the poor as they relate their present hardships with that of the sufferings and inequalities endured by Christ during his time.
The reading of the Pasyon can be done in the form of a song or chant depending on the renditions done in different provinces or regions. Originally, it is done a cappella-style but some devotees use guitars or a rondalla as accompaniment.
(source: Pabasa: Remembering Christ’s death and resurrection by Maria Aleta Nieva)

I miss those days when videoke or karaoke was not the in thing yet and people only show-off and belt-out through Pabasa.

How about you? Have you heard any Pabasa/ Pasyon in your place? What were the traditional Lenten Season you observed before that seemed to have disappeared this year? Care to share?