People not like me part #47: Boy, 15, nailed to a cross as Filipinos whip and crucify themselves in gory Good Friday ritual

So much for the good ol' fashioned Easter Egg hunt....

A 15-year-old boy has been crucified in the Philipines today in a gory ritual to mark the death of Jesus Christ.

Dozens of Filipinos, including the boy and an 18-year-old girl, were nailed to crosses and scores more whipped their backs into a bloody pulp as the country's devout Roman Catholics marked Good Friday.

The voluntary crucifixions in the northern Philippines were the most extreme displays of religious devotion in this mainly Catholic country, where millions are praying and fasting ahead of the Easter weekend.

In the small village of Cutud, about 80 km (50 miles) north of Manila, men cried out as nails the size of pencils were driven into their hands and feet before they were hoisted up in the scorching heat. Nineteen were to go through the process.

But government health and safety officials were keeping their eye on proceedings, after health minister Francisco Duque told those planning to be crucified to ensure they have a tetanus jab and use sterilised nails.

Never mind the clear dangers to your health of crucifixion, so long as the danger of infection is safely reduced.

Thousands watched the spectacle in Cutud, which has grown from a village production started in 1962 to a media and tourist attraction copied in other parts of the country.

For hours before the crucifixions lines of men, hooded and half naked, flayed their backs with bamboo whips and paddles tipped with broken glass. Blood splattered over the road.

The atmosphere was festive, with hawkers selling beer, ice-cream and souvenir whips. VIPs watched from a specially elevated "viewing platform".


Don't miss the photos...
[link to www.dailymail.co.uk]