By: Telly Gonzaga-Ocampo
A Revisit of Cuaresma:
The Treasure Chest of Memories
I was born in 1946 – just immediately at the end of world war 2. Life was simple then, where and when our world revolved around the church, school, and home. Our playground was our neighbors’ yard including the streets on moonlight nights.
Those were the times when stores in Tagbilaran were closed at 6 p.m. and the big transportation business running was only The Bohol Land Transportation Company – by an American entrepreneur named Ohgan (I am not sure of the correct spelling). But it sounded this way. Pero, para naho, mao man gyud tingali na ang spelling kay apil man sa among kanta nga: Truck ni Ohgan kusog modagan, pilay plete? Tres beinte, ida bwelta tres kwarenta.
No truck could be seen on the streets past 6 in the evening and by that time, all of us children were supposed to be home for the Angelus and the rosary. Our special prayer petition, then, was the conversion of Russia.
Ibo-ibo was the game we played on moonlight nights. Hubong-hubong sa silong sa silingan was another exciting game. But all these games were not allowed during the observance of the cuaresma. During the cuaresma observance, almost everything was bawal ug ginadili.
In all of those 40 days starting on Ash Wednesday until Black Saturday, ginadili ang pagkaon sa karne. We always had sampora (champorado) or tinughong with buwad. Ube, saging and gabi were still in abundance, then. And camote, too! Nagbaow man gud ang kasagaran sa mga tawo adtong panahona. And children had their share of household chores during those times. And we, as children, had to wake up before sunrise to be productive. Tungod kay ug momata kuno mi nga misidlak na ang adlaw, maligsan kuno mi sa adlaw, unya kapoy na ang among lawas nga ilihok-lihok.
There were more activities that were not allowed panahon sa cuaresma. Dili pud mi palakwon sa gawas sa balay, kay naay tirong. Ambot unsa gyud ang tirong. Basta dli lang gyud mi palakwon. We also had a handwritten book called the Conquistador. This was the material which our Lola allowed us to read during cuaresma. Even listening to the radio was a forbidden thing to do. But the radio set was switched on during Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Black Saturday. This exception was for us to be able to listen to the Passion of Christ including the Siete Palabras – programs that were aired over the radio. The volume of the transistor radio was always in full blast so the neighbors could hear what was said on air.
I just wonder why there is no more kopak-kopak during Maundy Thursday services nowadays. I remember that this was one of the most awaited moments by the children, the kopak=kopak moment. This was observed during the re-enactment on Maundy Thursday of the betrayal of Judas – when Judas made his treacherous kiss leading to the captivity of Jesus Christ. As this was observed, there was that ceremony in church when all lights were put off and the church was in complete darkness. Amidst the darkness, only the sound of the kopak-kopak dominated the halls of the church.
The sound of the kopak-kopak resembles the sound of the present day lato-lato . A;most every churchgoer, on Maundy Thursday, had his kopak-kopak as he/she attended the church services. And during the observance of the “kiss of Judas”, everybody in church would beat the instrument to his/her full strength so that all one could feel was irritation, fear, despair, sorrow, etc. due to the betrayel of Judas. What a chest of memory during the cuaaresma observance before,
Then, Easter vigil was observed. The hugos was something we all looked forward to. I always dreamed to be an angel during the hugos. Easter morning was a beautiful celebration. We would wake up before 4:00 a.m. to witness the hugos. with the singing of the angels “descending from the clouds”; with the Risen Lord meeting His mother as the angel uncovers the face of Mary from her black veil; with the angel replacing the black veil with a crown. And a little farther away from the Risen Lord is the scene where Judas is hanging on a tree. Grabe gyud among pagbati adto nga makakita sa nagbitay nga lawas (representation ra god) ni traydor nga Judas nga pagasunugon sa punuan sa Talisay. Maninggit gud mi nga mga bata inig sugod ug sunog. Mura bitaw ba ug kami ang mi-abiba ni Hesus batok kang Judas nga mibudhi sa atong Maninubos. What a sight. What an opportunity to say: “Traitors had to be burned in hell.”
