On 14 February 2024, Filipino Catholics formed a line on the grounds of Quiapo Church, the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Manila. They were not waiting simply to enter: they were taking turns to have ashes placed on their foreheads. Ash Wednesday begins the forty-day Lenten season, and the ashes are traditionally made by burning palms from the previous Palm Sunday.
That year Ash Wednesday coincided with Valentine’s Day. Families and couples attended early Mass; services were scheduled hourly from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m., with more at midday and in the evening. Outside the church, vendors sold flowers, teddy bears and heart-shaped chocolates, while inside the grounds the queue advanced toward a sign of penitence.
Two calendars met in one place. The most visible object of the queue was not a romantic gift but a brief mark of ash on the forehead.