The Role of Mary Magdalene in the Easter “Salubong”: A Religious Exploration

The resurrection is the most important event in Christian faith and is flamboyantly celebrated yearly in the Philippines through the Salubong religious practice. This popular religiosity displays the Filipino Catholics’ inherent love for Jesus Christ and his mother Mary. The symbolic meeting between a resurrected son and his bereaved mother is a manifestation of the Filipinos’ deep-down value for the family, devotion to parents, and respect for elders. While this is a remarkable trait, an important figure, Mary Magdalene, and the other committed women who stood for Jesus during those trying moments are not given the space they rightfully deserve in the liturgical occasion. This study is a religious exploration of the salubong practice in the Philippines. It investigates the role of Mary Magdalene during the resurrection event of Jesus. It concludes that Mary Magdalene is an important figure in the resurrection event as a witness and as an apostle to the apostles.

Keywords: Salubong; Mary Magdalene; popular devotions; culture; Philippines