Catholic worshippers have been nailed to wooden crosses in a gory Easter ritual in the Philippines.

Four men and a woman, some wearing crowns of twigs, were escorted by villagers dressed as Roman centurions and nailed to crosses on a dusty hill to mark Good Friday.

Other Christian devotees flogged themselves or took part in religious plays in San Petro Cutud village to re-enact the suffering of Jesus. Similar reenactments played out in nearby farming towns in the northern Philippines.

Thousands of people, including many tourists, watched the spectacle, which is frowned upon by the Catholic Church.

“We’re from Poland, so it’s also a Catholic country but there is nothing like that. It’s much more peaceful and quiet,” said visitor Magdalena Tyburcy.

Philippines annual ritual: reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ Show all 12 1 /12 Philippines annual ritual: reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ Philippines annual ritual: reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ Filipino penitent Mary Jane Sazon reacts as she is nailed to a wooden cross for the 8th year on Good Friday EPA Philippines annual ritual: reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ Ruben Enaje, 58, who portrays Jesus Christ, grimaces in pain after being nailed on a wooden cross Reuters Philippines annual ritual: reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ Filipino devotees are nailed on wooden crosses during a crucifixion re-enactment on Good Friday, in Philippines Reuters Philippines annual ritual: reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ A Filipino penitent performs self-flagellation in San Fernando City Reuters Philippines annual ritual: reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ A Catholic devotee is lowered after he was nailed to a wooden cross Reuters Philippines annual ritual: reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ Philippine Christian devotee Ruben Enaje, 58, is nailed to a cross during a reenactment of the Crucifixion of Christ during Good Friday ahead of Easter in the village of Cutud near San Fernando on April 19, 2019. - Frowned upon by the Church, the ritual crucifixions and self-flagellation in the north of the country are extreme affirmations of faith performed every Easter in Asia's Catholic outpost. (Photo by Noel CELIS / AFP)NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty Images NOEL CELIS AFP/Getty Philippines annual ritual: reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ Philippine Christian devotee Ruben Enaje, 58, is nailed to a cross during a reenactment of the Crucifixion of Christ during Good Friday ahead of Easter in the village of Cutud near San Fernando on April 19, 2019. - Frowned upon by the Church, the ritual crucifixions and self-flagellation in the north of the country are extreme affirmations of faith performed every Easter in Asia's Catholic outpost. (Photo by Noel CELIS / AFP)NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty Images NOEL CELIS AFP/Getty Philippines annual ritual: reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ A Catholic devotee is nailed on a wooden cross during a ritual performed during Good Friday, in San Fernando City, Pampanga province, Philippines, April 19, 2019. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez ELOISA LOPEZ Reuters Philippines annual ritual: reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ epa07515342 Filipino penitent Ruben Enaje reacts as he is nailed to a wooden cross for the 33rd year on Good Friday in San Pedro Cutud village, San Fernando, Pampanga, Philippines, 19 April 2019. Thousands of Catholic devotees witnessed dozens of men who were nailed to wooden crosses or flogged themselves bloody in annual rituals re-enacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. EPA/MARK R. CRISTINO MARK R. CRISTINO EPA Philippines annual ritual: reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ TOPSHOT - EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / A flagellant lie on the ground as part of their penitence during the re-enactment of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ for Good Friday in San Juan, Pampanga, north of Manila on April 19, 2019. - Hundreds of barefoot men beat themselves with flails and at least 10 were to be nailed onto crosses throughout Good Friday in a blood-soaked worship display in the Philippines, Asia's Catholic outpost. (Photo by Noel CELIS / AFP)NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty Images NOEL CELIS AFP/Getty Philippines annual ritual: reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ Mary Jane Sazon, the only woman to join in the crucifixion in the village this year, remains calm while she is nailed on a wooden cross as part of Good Friday rituals in the village of San Pedro Cutud, Pampanga province, northern Philippines, Friday, April 19, 2019. Sazon has joined the crucifixion ritual for more than a dozen times, according to tourism officials. She says this year's devotion is dedicated to her sickly mother. Over a thousand Filipino Roman Catholic devotees and tourists flocked to a farming village north of Manila on Friday to witness the crucifixion of several devotees in a costumed reenactment of Jesus Christ's sufferings, a gory annual tradition church leaders frown upon. (AP Photo/Iya Forbes) Iya Forbes AP Philippines annual ritual: reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ Philippine Christian devotees are nailed to crosses during a reenactment of the Crucifixion of Christ during Good Friday ahead of Easter in the village of Cutud near San Fernando on April 19, 2019. - Frowned upon by the Church, the ritual crucifixions and self-flagellation in the north of the country are extreme affirmations of faith performed every Easter in Asia's Catholic outpost. (Photo by NOEL CELIS / AFP)NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty Images NOEL CELIS AFP/Getty

Prior to the reenacted crucifixions, dozens of barefoot penitents beat their bare backs with sharp bamboo sticks and wood. Some had their backs with razors cut to keep them bloody.

Sterilised nails are used in the rituals and, after they are lowered from the crosses, the devotees are checked by medical workers to make sure they are no complications from their injuries.

Painter Ruben Enaje, 59, was nailed to the cross for the 33rd time as part of giving thanks to God after surviving a fall from a building.

“Next year, I’m going to be a senior. Our bones are a bit different, you start to get hurt. I’ll just pass down [this tradition] to someone younger than me,” he said.

Another regular, Mary Jane Sazon, marked her 16th time on the cross.

“When I do this devotion, my prayers come true,” Ms Sazon said. ”Then I stopped. I started having health problems again, so I joined the crucifixion again. I felt that through my devotion, whatever illness I feel goes away.”

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The Philippines is Asia’s largest Catholic nation.

Other Lent traditions include street plays with devotees reenacting the Way of the Cross and a marathon chanting of the Pasyon, a Philippine narrative of the suffering of Christ.