Villagers prepare to hammer a nail
into the palm of a religious devotee.
Bullit Marquez/AP
One such penitent, 51-year-old Ruben Enaje, had four-inch nails hammered into his palms and was hung on a cross for several minutes by villagers dressed as Roman centurions.
"When I'm up there on the cross, I feel very close to God," he told the AP. "We grew up with this tradition and nothing can stop us."
A sign painter by trade, Enaje began subjecting himself to this torture 25 years after surviving a fall from a three-story building.
"Not a bone in my body was broken when I fell from that building," he said. "It was a miracle."
"Now, I'm praying for good health and more clients."
In Pampanga, more than 30,000 people witnessed this year's ritual. While tourists - including three European ambassadors - made up a large part of the audience, only Philippine nationals are allowed to take part in the ceremony.
The no-foreigner policy was enacted a few years ago after an Australian comic using a fake name was crucified.
In 1996, a Japanese citizen tried to get nailed to the cross as part of a porn film, tourism officer Ching Pangilinan said.
"They made a mockery out of a local tradition." Pangilinan told The AP.
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