Filipinos celebrate Easter with crucifixion, whipping peoples’ backs raw

Bare-chested men, some of whose faces were concealed by hoods, lashed their backs bloody, as onlookers watched. (AFP)

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.