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| The Sto. Entierro |
After our visita iglesia in Tayabas and Lucban, we drove back to Sariaya, in time for the traditional Good Friday parade of carrozas (carriage) at 5 P.M.. This parade, a tableaux from the ministry, passion and death of Christ, was accompanied by a huge crowd of devotees.
At the parade were about 15 tastefully-designed, silver-plated and antique carrozas (or andas) of different sizes, some grand and ostentatious beyond comprehension, and festooned with floral arrangements. All are pulled by devotees as they navigated the streets of Sariaya in a long and winding procession after attending the late afternoon holy mass.
Each carroza carried different images including colorfully decorated statues of heirloom santos (saints), the town’s patron saint Francis of Assisi among them, all resplendently attired with expensive finery, and the Sto. Entierro (meaning “holy burial”), glass case of the dead Jesus Christ in state. According to Jun, one of the carrozaswas donated by his family. The parade ended at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi. After the procession, eager Sariayahins try their best to get the decorations and flowers (which they place in the altars of their homes) from the carrozas, especially those from the Sto. Entierro.