‘Tais

PALO, Leyte – One of the oldest traditions associated with the Lenten season is the “Tais-dupol” which is a trademark of Palo’s Lenten commemorations.

This all-male religious group got its name from the hoods its members wear which are either pointed (tais) or blunt (dupol), similar to the ones worn by the Klu Klux Klan in the United States.

The members wear these cone-shaped hoods/robes or hats as they join the procession and the re-enactment of the Passion of Christ on Good Friday.

This tradition has become an integral part of Palo’s commemoration of the Lenten season.

For the first time since all of religious festivities and activities were shelved for three years due to the pandemic, barefoot devotees were once again seen going around the municipality of Palo on Good Friday, April 7, dramatizing the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ for Holy Week processions.

They joined the procession and, notwithstanding the scorching April sun, walked barefoot as is also the trademark of Tais-dupol.

The group helped in crowd control during processions and the reenactment of the Seven Last Words. The Penitentes – the Tais-dupol members – likewise collect donations that they use to finance next year's activities.

As part of their preparation and to renew their faith, the Penitentes held Stations of the Cross for seven Fridays before Holy Week.

The late Palo Archbishop Monsingor Benjamin Bacierra wrote that the Penitentes take their root from the Penitentes or Nazareños – men and women wearing cone-shaped hoods that cover their faces.

"As a form of sacrifice, they carry religious statues and icons in daily processions of the weeklong celebration of the Semana Santa of Andalucia, Spain which dates back to the 15th century."

It was said that the Confraternity of the Penitentes was introduced and organized in 1894 by Fr. Pantaleon de la Fuente, a Franciscan friar and a native of Spain who served as parish priest of Palo from 1887 to 1898.

He was then “cabecera” or head of Leyte. He desired to give a more dramatic color to the episode of Christ’s suffering, crucifixion, death, and burial.