SAN FERNANDO, Philippines : 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 a collection of towns located north of Manila, eight people had eight-centimetre spikes driven through their palms and feet in hot, dry fields.

Among an otherwise male field of penitents was 39-year-old Mary Jane Sazon, who made her seventh trip up onto the cross. “Fulfilling my vow is important to me because ever since I started this the Lord answers my prayers,” Sazon told reporters as she pushed her dark hair back with freshly bandaged hands.

She would not be drawn on being the only woman crucified on Friday, saying “I don’t care what other people might say.”

While the ordeal is undeniably painful, the penitents’ weight rests on a wooden step and they spend only a few moments nailed to the cross before being carried to the medical tent for treatment.

At the same time, scores of bare-chested men, some of whose faces were concealed by hoods, lashed their backs bloody, as they walked through the streets before selfie-snapping onlookers.

The swinging of their whips 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.”