The Salubong Mass

[MarieW]

I grew up in the states and I have a few questions about the Salubong Mass, I’m gonna go to my first one later, I’ve heard a lot of wonderful things about it.

1. Is it in the bible?
2. Is this only a Filipino tradition.
3. Are there other countries that celebrate it. if there are what name do they call it.
4. Has anyone her experienced it?

 

[patrick457]

I grew up in the states and I have a few questions about the Salubong Mass, I’m gonna go to my first one later, I’ve heard a lot of wonderful things about it.

1. Is it in the bible?
2. Is this only a Filipino tradition.
3. Are there other countries that celebrate it. if there are what name do they call it.
4. Has anyone her experienced it?

Hi, half-Filipino here.

The Salubong (‘Meeting’) is really based on a pious tradition - not exactly attested in Scripture - that the very first person Jesus appeared to after His resurrection was His mother. I don’t know if a similar custom exists in other countries, but in the most common version of the custom (there some slight variations on the ritual depending on the locale), it involves two different processions starting at different points very early in the morning. The first consists of the statue of the risen Lord accompanied by men, while the second consists of a statue of Our Lady, with a black mourning veil (lambong) covering her face, accompanied by women and children.

The two processions meet at a predetermined area, often the church courtyard, after each making their way round about the town, from different routes. In this area stands a structure - usually temporary, but in a few areas permanent - often called galilea (‘Galilee’; cf. Matthew 28:7). At the climactic moment, an ‘angel’ appears from the galilea, usually in some ingenious fashion and removes the veil from the statue of the Blessed Virgin (Regina Coeli is sometimes sung at this point), at which point the mood changes into one of joy. Usually immediately following the salubong is the Mass of Easter Sunday.

 

[MarieW]

Hi, half-Filipino here.

The Salubong (‘Meeting’) is really based on a pious tradition - not exactly attested in Scripture - that the very first person Jesus appeared to after His resurrection was His mother. I don’t know if a similar custom exists in other countries, but in the most common version of the custom (there some slight variations on the ritual depending on the locale), it involves two different processions starting at different points very early in the morning. The first consists of the statue of the risen Lord accompanied by men, while the second consists of a statue of Our Lady, with a black mourning veil (lambong) covering her face, accompanied by women and children.

The two processions meet at a predetermined area, often the church courtyard, after each making their way round about the town, from different routes. In this area stands a structure - usually temporary, but in a few areas permanent - often called galilea (‘Galilee’; cf. Matthew 28:7). At the climactic moment, an ‘angel’ appears from the galilea, usually in some ingenious fashion and removes the veil from the statue of the Blessed Virgin (Regina Coeli is sometimes sung at this point), at which point the mood changes into one of joy. Usually immediately following the salubong is the Mass of Easter Sunday.

Thank you very much, Patrick

 

[Miserissima]

This is the first year I’ve heard the pious tradition of Jesus privately appearing to his mother, and suddenly I raff/hear of it everywhere.

After your description, Patrick, seeing the Salubong has made it to my “Bucket List.”

Are there any YouTube videos anyone can recommend?

 

[Celtic_Maiden]

This is the first year I’ve heard the pious tradition of Jesus privately appearing to his mother, and suddenly I raff/hear of it everywhere.

After your description, Patrick, seeing the Salubong has made it to my “Bucket List.”

Are there any YouTube videos anyone can recommend?

Pious tradition means just that, it might be true and then again it might not. Its kind of believe it or believe not. 2000 years ago You tube was not around. Ha Ha. Its open ended . God Bless Walk with the Lord

 

[pablope]

Hi, half-Filipino here.

Mother or father side? and from what locate in the Philippines?

The Salubong

 

[pablope]

Pious tradition means just that, it might be true and then again it might not. Its kind of believe it or believe not. 2000 years ago You tube was not around. Ha Ha. Its open ended . God Bless Walk with the Lord

It is still done in the Philippines. I will post a you tube video later.

In some parishes here, where there is a strong Filipino presence, they are trying to bring this tradition here, I saw this announcement several weeks ago in a parish bulletin…where they will have a Salubong.

 

[patrick457]

Mother or father side? and from what locate in the Philippines?

My mother’s side. I was actually born and raised there - which is why when I came here to Japan many people are surprised because I can speak in Tagalog. I mean I look Japanese but when I speak…well. I lived a good deal of my life in Antipolo - pilgrimage area that - and partly in Batangas province. I picked up my accent there.

This is pretty much what it is…that is why it is called a “Salubong”…

Have you experienced it?

I did once. back when I was still there - I was only somewhere about nine or ten, maybe eleven, and wasn’t still used to waking up very early at the time. The only vague memory I have of it was not being able to join the procession - there were lots of people, my aunt (I think it was my aunt) didn’t want to join the fray - and getting annoyed. “Why can’t we go there and join them?”

In most parishes, this is usually the main venue where the main “Pabasa” is held, the temporary Pabasa structure is built to serve at the meeting place of the risen Christ and the grieving BVM.

Have you experienced the Pabasa? Back in Batangas, our particular Pabasa custom was to have the local grandmas go to different houses each day and recite a portion of the Pasyong Mahal.

I’d actually like to talk about the Pasyon later when I have more time. For the record, - the poem is set to different tunes) here.Pasyon

It is usually a child dressed like an angel who lifts the veil.

And the tradition after the mass is the blowing up of a statue of Judas Iscariot…and the finale is the blowing up if his bag, which contains coins…and all the children go scamper to pick up.

I don’t think we had the Judas effigy in our area. Or perhaps I just didn’t look carefully - I mean I didn’t know there were flagellants and people who carried crosses in Antipolo until years later. I just assumed they were a provincial thing.

 

[patrick457]

This is the first year I’ve heard the pious tradition of Jesus privately appearing to his mother, and suddenly I raff/hear of it everywhere.

After your description, Patrick, seeing the Salubong has made it to my “Bucket List.”

Are there any YouTube videos anyone can recommend?

Here’s one. And here’s the moment where the ‘angel’ lifts the veil off the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows. (Another one of the same. And yet another one.) You might notice that while the general structure is the same, the specifics - for example, the exact form the ‘meeting place’ or the galilea takes - are different from place to place.

 

[Miserissima]

Pious tradition means just that, it might be true and then again it might not. Its kind of believe it or believe not. 2000 years ago You tube was not around. Ha Ha. Its open ended . God Bless Walk with the Lord

First laugh of the daddy; thanks for that!

 

[pablope]

Here’s one. And here’s the moment where the ‘angel’ lifts the veil off the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows. (Another one of the same. And yet another one.) You might notice that while the general structure is the same, the specifics - for example, the exact form the ‘meeting place’ or the galilea takes - are different from place to place.

Thanks for the videos…brings back those memories and centuries old traditions in the Philippines…

 

[pablope]

My mother’s side. I was actually born and raised there - which is why when I came here to Japan many people are surprised because I can speak in Tagalog. I mean I look

Japanese but when I speak…well. I lived a good deal of my life in Antipolo - pilgrimage area that - and partly in Batangas province. I picked up my accent there.

Ah…Antipolo…my parents, together with my cousins, would go there on our annual pilgrimage in May, before classes start in June, for safe travel during the school year.

Have you experienced the Pabasa

 

[MarieW]

I just experienced my first Salubong Mass, and since it’s done here in the San Diego, it’s a bit modified compare to the ones I read in the Philippines. They started at about 4:45 am ( in the PI it’s at pre-dawn like 3 am), They also did it more quietly no bell ringing, they don’t wanna wake up the neighborhood, Only one procession ( the Meeting) instead of 2, one decade of rosary instead of doing all 4 mysteries and the whole thing including Easter Mass took about 2 hours instead of the 4 hours done in the Philippines, althogether It was a good experience to me