CUTUD, Philippines (Reuters) - About 10 people, including a woman, will be crucified in a northern Philippine town on Good Friday in a bloody imitation of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ some 2,000 years ago. "It's been a tradition here since I was small. It is their own religious belief. They do it to atone for their sins. This year, there are about 10," barangay (district) captain Zoilo Castro told Reuters. The crucifixion will take place at noon time in the Cutud district of San Pedro town, 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Manila. A field has been cleared to be used as the site of the crucifixion. Some of the crosses are expected to be hoisted up for a few minutes. Flagellants with faces masked walk, some barefoot, along the town streets under the simmering heat of the sun, beating their backs to a bloody pulp with bamboo whips. Castro said the crucifixion, which draws large crowds of local and foreign tourists, started in 1946 and has endured ever since. Last year, 15 people were crucified, the highest number since the ritual began. No one has ever died from the bloody rites. The Philippines is predominantly Roman Catholic. The Catholic Church frowns upon the ritual which combines Catholic fervour with primitive beliefs. The Lenten season is also a period of fasting and penitence in Asia's only majority Catholic country.