Every year, during the Holy Week, thousands of Filipino Catholics observe the death of Jesus Christ by holding pabasa (a traditional form of reading the scriptures, specifically the one about the death of Christ, in the form of singing), penitensiya (self-flagellation), sinakulo (the reenactment of Christ's crucifixion), prusisyon (the parading of images of characters in the story of Christ's crucifixion on the streets0 and misa de viernes santo (Holy Friday mass).  The nation, which is predominantly Catholic, becomes a stage for the spectacle of penitence.