What is Salubong?

Photo of Salubong procession by AJ Torrefiel, Creative Commons

Salubong (Tagalog for “meeting”) is a traditional Filipino devotion that reenacts the encounter of the risen Christ with his mother. In communities in the Philippines, on the morning of Easter Sunday, the faithful carry statues of the risen Christ and of the Blessed Mother through town in two separate processions. The men of the community, in a procession of joyful celebration, accompany the statue of Christ; the women of the community, in a somber procession of mourning, accompany the image of the sorrowful mother, shrouded in a black mourning veil. They arrive at a designated meeting place, usually in front of a church, where a little girl dressed as an angel removes the black mourning veil from the statue of Mary. This devotion is celebrated in many parishes in the United States that serve the Filipino community.