| Pasyong Mahal | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Pasiong Mahal |
| Country | Philippines |
| Language | Tagalog |
| Genre(s) | Prayer, poem, narration |
| Media type | |
The Pasyon (Spanish: Pasión) is a narrative of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ woven with the standard elements of epic poetry and a colorful dramatic theme, with stanzas of five lines. Each line has eight syllables. This form of the passion narrative is popular in the Philippines, especially during the Lenten season or Holy Week.
The indigenous form of the Pasyon was first set into writing by Gaspar Aquino de Belén in " Ang Mahal na Pasión ni Jesu Christong Panginoon Natin na Tola" ("The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ that is a Poem"), written in 1703 and approved in 1704.
The more popular version of the Pasyon is the "Casaysayan nang Pasiong Mahal ni Jesucristong Panginoon Natin na Sucat Ipag-alab nang Puso nang Sinomang Babasa" ("The History of the Passion of Jesus Christ our Lord that will surely Set Afire the Heart of Whosoever Reads it").
An 1852 erudition by Aniceto de Merced, El libro de la vida (The Book of Life), did not prove popular with the masses.
The Pasyon is normally heard during Holy Week in the Philippines, where its recitation, known as the Pabása ("Reading") can span several days over the course of the period, extending no later than Black Saturday. Readers will chant the verses of the Pasyon without pause from beginning to end in front of a specially-constructed shrine or altar. This non-stop reading of the Pasyon is facilitated by the chanters working in shifts.The reading of Pasyon must be finished before 3 pm of Good Friday (the time when Jesus died on the cross). Musical accompaniment to its recitation is practised by some though is by no means universal.