58-Year-Old Woman Continues Crucifixion Tradition on Good Friday
A 58-year-old woman once again took part in a long-standing Holy Week tradition, continuing the practice of crucifixion on Good Friday.
On Friday (April 3, 2026), a woman named Engracia Jumaquio Valencia, also known as Precy, was nailed to a wooden cross at exactly 12:03 p.m in Barangay Kapitangan, Paombong, Bulacan, as her way of honoring the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
This year marked her 39th time performing the act. According to her husband, Celestino Valencia, Precy first experienced being nailed to the cross when she was just 16 years old in 1984.
Since then, she has done it every Good Friday, except for a pause from 2020 to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Concrete nails were used during the ritual, with seven-inch nails driven through her feet and four-inch nails through her hands. These same nails have been used every year and are carefully stored in a bottle filled with oil to preserve them.
Before the crucifixion, alcohol was applied to her hands and feet for cleaning, and she signed a waiver as part of the preparation.
Despite the physical pain, her husband shared that her wounds usually heal by Black Saturday, although she only resumes eating solid food by Easter Sunday. Aside from this yearly act, Precy works as a traditional healer and also sews garments for religious images. Her husband, on the other hand, works in construction.
Their family believes that Precy has been guided by the Santo Niño since she was 12 years old. They are planning for her to perform the ritual one last time in Cebu in 2027 before she retires.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Church continues to discourage such practices, saying that harming oneself is not a true expression of faith, even as many people still take part in these traditions every year.
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