Carpenter Ends 37-Year Good Friday Crucifixion Reenactment
For the last 37 years, Filipino carpenter Ruben Enaje has reenacted Jesus Christ’s suffering on Good Friday in Pampanga province. This year, at age 65, he chose to nail only his palms to the cross and declined the usual whipping and slapping. Enaje carried a 20kg wooden cross for half a mile under the scorching sun alongside two fellow devotees. He spared his feet this time after his wife raised concerns about his weakened lungs. The annual ritual began in 1985, when he vowed to thank God for surviving a three-story fall. Over the decades, Enaje’s “sacrifice” drew thousands of pilgrims to rural hilltops. He used the ceremony to pray for world peace and healing for families. Now, he says he will retire from the brutal tradition and leave the crucifixion to younger volunteers.
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