Today is Easter Sunday. I prefer to remember it as a day to commemorate the triumph of Jesus Christ over death rather than jumping rabbits and colored eggs.This is also the day when Longinus was harassed because he did not sign the waiver that he saw Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. Yes Virginia, even during those days, there were so many cover-ups.
This was the day when we, kids, climbed the huge table in the dining room and jumped. Nahh, we're not practising to dive into the water. We liked to add some more inches to our heights. There is a superstition that you grow taller when you jump during Easter Sunday. Unluckily, my cousin did not jump high enough that he remained under five feet even in his adult days and despite the fact that he continued the practice long after our other cousins had abandoned their short pants. He was very grateful when the elevator shoes became vogue. Sometimes I was tempted to ask him, how's the weather down there when he used to work with my father. My old man was a chief mechanic and almost all male relatives thought that he was running an employment agency. My dad could not say no to his older siblings who sent their sons to the city. Instead of pounding the pavement or scouring the classified ads,they merely appeared in our door. So libre na accommodation, libre pagkain, may suweldo pa sa kumpaniya. May on-the-job-training pa. When they arrived fresh off boat, they drove the vehicles in reverse. When they left, they could already accept a dozen of eggs for car repair. toinkz.
This was also a good day to trim your hair according to my mother. I won't. Yong IQ ko nasa dulo. Pag pinutol ko baka mabawasan.
My mom would make me participate in the SALUBONG. This is a procession where Jesus meets His Mother. The icons were covered with veils which were to be removed by an "angel". This was the task of a little girl who who was wearing white long dress, sporting wings and either riding in a swing adorned with paper flowers or were hoisted down by some strong men down from a makeshift "heaven portal". Or she was tied to a white blanket swinging to and fro while trying to reach the veils. I could have gotten the role, the first time but I found out, I have acrophobia (is that the fear for heights?). Fortunately, the organizers discovered it before I was lowered down. Dangling from the heights. I could have cried and asked my mission aborted or just cried non-stop until they "rescued"me. My stage mother settled for supporting role for me i.e. throwing petals of flowers and singing hosanahs (?) I think, I had also wings. Most of my aunt's white chicken in her poultry were bald for weeks.
Lest we forget the message of the Resurrection Day, may I greet you Happy Easter Sunday. Let us not allow our hope to die,
Pinaysaamerika
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