Holy Week in the Philippines the sacramental bread was already consecrated on Maundy Thursday. In some places (most famously in the province of Pampanga), the day’s processions include devotees who self-flagellate and sometimes even have themselves nailed to crosses. While frowned upon by the Church, devotees consider these to be personal expressions of penance, whether in fulfilment of a vow or in thanksgiving for a prayer granted. The "pabasa", or continuous chanting of the "Pasyón" (the Filipino epic narrative of Christ's life, Passion, Death, and Resurrection), usually concludes on this day. Television and radio stations also broadcast their own special "Siete Palabras" programmes from large
Armelin's calendar Armelin's calendar Armelin's calendar was developed around 1887 by French astronomer Gustave Armelin, who developed a twelve-month calendar in which the year of 364 days was divided into four equal quarters of 91 days. Armelin's calendar proposal was discussed chiefly under the auspices of the Société astronomique de France in 1887 and recently in the French Academy of Sciences. The advantages of this simple system are evident. The months are nearly equal in length, and all have the same number of business days. Any given day of any month falls on the same day of the week each year. A