Palm Sunday

Yesterday, the neighborhood girls came up asking for bouginvilla flowers for palm sunday.
In most Catholic churches, they hold a procession before mass, although in the states usually it's inside church due to the weather.
They take a statue of Jesus on a donkey and roll it down the street, and everyone waves palm branches and throws flowers in the air to celebrate Christ as king...bouginvilla flowers, being actually a colorful leaf, tend not to wilt quickly so are a favorite to throw...
We arrived at church at the end of the procession, which started 630 am (no photos, sorry I forgot my camera)...and of course the service was a bit long...they read the entire story of Christ's passion at mass, and then, unlike the US, where people are restless, the priest gave a long and passionate service about how Christ loves us.
Actually Filippinos, especially the kids, tend to be just as restless as Americans. But unlike Americans, they move in and out of church when they get restless...and since church is full, there is no problem standing in the back or side...when it is very hot, I stand at the side so I can go out if I feel faint. But since we started going to mass at 7 30 instead of 9 am or 4 30 pm, I haven't had that problem...
The earliest mass and procession today was 430, the mass of the rooster, which is mainly for those who have to work...