Filipinos celebrate Easter with crucifixion, flogging

Filipino zealots marked Good Friday with a bloody display of religious frenzy by having themselves nailed to crosses and whipping their backs raw in Asia's bastion of Catholicism.

Though frowned upon by the church, the gruesome re-enactments of Christ's final moments draw thousands of believers -- and tourists -- in a carnival-like atmosphere that is big business for locals.

In towns located north of Manila at least three people had eight-centimetre (three-inch) spikes driven through their palms and feet in hot, dry fields. More devotees were expected to take part later in the day.

At the same time, bare-chested men, some of whose faces were concealed by hoods, lashed their backs bloody, as selfie-snapping onlookers watched.

They left droplets of blood on cars, houses and even bottles of soda displayed on snack vendors' tables that lined the road.

"If one of my family members gets sick, this is what we do," said Norman Lapuot, 25, as he flogged himself with a bamboo-tipped whip. "I do this for my relatives."