A decades-old tradition passed down from one generation to the next, the senakulo is not just a retelling of the life and passion of Jesus Christ in town plazas during Holy Week. It has a rich history, especially for the people of the town of Cainta, Rizal province’s gateway to Metro Manila.

Several groups of senakulistas or actors in the stage and street play have made Cainta a must-visit during the climax of the Lenten season. Krus sa Nayon is the oldest among the groups as it is presently marking its 120th year of doing its own panata or vow.

Cainta prides itself as the “Senakulo capital of the country” and credit goes to the pioneering senakulistas belonging to the Krus sa Nayon Inc. and that other big group, the Samahang Nazareno Inc.

It all started in 1904 when Cainteños, threatened by what they believed to be evil spirits, staked a wooden cross on a vacant lot to ward off folkloric creatures like the kapre and aswang.

“Candido Javier just put up a cross in the vacant lot owned by Faustino de Leon to fight against the maligno or supernatural beings,” 71-year-old senakulista Valentino Andaya told DAILY TRIBUNE.

Then, miracles started happening that were attributed by the Catholic faithful to the cross, he said. From then on, readings of the Pasyong Mahal were held around the cross every Holy Week.

No stage, no problem

Andaya, who became president of the Krus sa Nayon in 1989, joined the senakulo in 1976, but was practicing the penitencia, of playing Christ carrying His cross while being whipped by Roman soldiers, since 1966.

He narrated that when the one who took care of the cross died, they already had what they called the “oficio” — not yet the senakulo, Andaya recalled. “They (oficio actors) did not yet have costumes at the time, only barong Tagalog and saya.”

Oficio performers portrayed the characters based on the “pabasa” or “pasyon,” he said, adding that someone then wrote an honest-to-goodness script to flesh out the storyline.

“When they performed that day, there was no stage yet. They just performed on the streets,” he said. In the succeeding years, they had a stage built of wood and bamboo.

“I was a child then when I saw them performing [the oficio] on Catalino Cruz Street,” Andaya recalled. Later, a group was formed from the members of Kilabot ng Tayangtang and the Barrian’s Club and it was called Roman’s Club.

“The Roman’s Club was already doing the penitence. That’s where the 14 stations of the cross started. There were prayers for each station,” Andaya said.

Tradition lives on

In 1976, the Krus sa Nayon was formed and its first president was Norberto Fernandez. “We put up a stage in a vacant lot in Marick Subdivision,” Andaya recalled.

As a senakulista in his younger days, Andaya portrayed Malchus, a servant of Jewish high priest Caiaphas who participated in the arrest of Jesus, and another character who accompanied Annas and Caiaphas when Nicodemus was defending Jesus.

Andaya said they are grateful to former mayor and now municipal administrator Keith Nieto for constructing a stage on the municipal grounds. The Tanghalang Cainta was built in 2014, which serves as a venue for the senakulo, as well as concerts and other cultural activities.

“Many groups have imitated us. There are other groups that also do the senakulo, that’s why Cainta has boomed — the cultural heritage grew. Even the church fully supports us during Holy Week because they know that we are spreading religion,” he said.

Andaya said the senakulo is a cultural tradition that has been passed down through generations in families.

“When you are a member of this organization, your children and even grandchildren will be enticed to join,” he said. “That’s why the children are encouraged to perform because they see that this is all about Christianism.”

“I think this has brought good to my family. Since I became a member of Krus sa Nayon, our lives have been going well,” Andaya said.

“Even though my wife got sick we never gave up, until she passed away. Until I was alone and became father and mother to my children,” he added.

John Paul Zapanta, 29, and his son Yuan Asher, 10, share the same passion and interest in the senakulo as active members of Krus sa Nayon.

Yuan, a Grade 4 student at San Juan Elementary School, said he enjoys very much being an actor in the senakulo.

“I like portraying a character in the Bible movies that I see on television such as the Ten Commandments, The Greatest Story Ever Told and Super Book,” the young senakulista said.

John Paul, a member of Krus sa Nayon for 15 years now — 13 years playing Jesus Christ — said he did not need to convince his only child to join the group.

“I took him to our rehearsals and even the senakulo when he was small. So when he made the right decision, he decided to join the group, and then he was given a break to perform by his ninong,” he said.

John Paulo said he is portraying one of the apostles of Jesus Christ in this year’s senakulo.

“In our family, it’s not just a panata. This is already a part of the lives of the village people and our family,” he said.