By Michaela Cabrera
CUTUD, Philippines (Reuters) - Over 20 Filipinos, includinga 15-year-old, were nailed to crosses and scores more whippedtheir backs into a bloody pulp on Friday in a gory ritual tomark the death of Jesus Christ.
The voluntary crucifixions in the northern Philippines werethe most extreme displays of religious devotion in this mainlyCatholic country, where millions are praying and fasting aheadof the Easter weekend.
In the small village of Cutud, about 80 km (50 miles) northof Manila, men cried out as nails the size of pencils weredriven into their hands and feet before they were hoisted up inthe scorching heat. Nineteen were to go through the process.
In the neighbouring province of Bulacan, five people werenailed to wooden crosses, including a 15-year-old boy and an18-year-old girl.
Thousands watched the spectacle in Cutud, which has grownfrom a village production started in 1962 to a media andtourist attraction copied in other parts of the country.
For hours before the crucifixions lines of men, hooded andhalf naked, flayed their backs with bamboo whips and paddlestipped with broken glass. Blood splattered over the road.
The atmosphere was festive, with hawkers selling beer,ice-cream and souvenir whips. VIPs watched from a speciallyelevated "viewing platform".
The country's dominant Catholic Church disapproves of thecrucifixions and flagellations as a misrepresentation of thefaith.
"The spiritual dimension is totally lost, and it's enteredinto only because of some shows, some manifestations for otherpeople to be satisfied with or to see," said Bishop DeograciasIniguez.
"Many of these penitents, those who are practicing thesephysical afflictions have a meagre, have a shallowunderstanding of these practices."
Some foreigners have previously been crucified including aBelgian nun and a Japanese man, who later allowed footage ofhis ordeal to be used in a pornographic film. No one has everdied during the rituals.
Over 80 percent of the Philippines' estimated 90 millionpopulation are Catholic and across the archipelago this weekendwill be a time for church ritual, family and the beach.
Filipinos infuse their Catholic faith with localsuperstitions and some people avoid taking a shower or doinglaundry after 3 p.m. (7 a.m. British time) on Good Friday --the time Christ was believed to have died -- for fear of badluck.
(Additional reporting by Romeo Ranoco; Editing by CarmelCrimmins and Jerry Norton)
