MARINDUQUE (The day of the Romans)

Although it’s the season of penitence, you need not carry a cross or flagellate yourself. The heat is so unbearable night or day, it might as well be your penance. And we Filipinos indulge ourselves in so many religious celebrations such as Palm Sunday. And of course, there’s the Moriones – one of the most colorful festivals celebrated on the island of Marinduque.

Every Holy Week, Lenten piety blends with cultural gaiety in the traditional Moriones festival all over the province. ‘’Moriones’’ is a Mexican word which means ‘’mask’’ or ‘’visor,’’ a part of the medieval Roman armor which covers the face.

On the other hand, Moriones here in the Philippines refers to the masked and costumed penitents who march around the town for seven days searching for Longinus, a Roman centurion who was blind in one eye. This folk religious festival re-enacts the story of Longinus.

Legend has it that Longinus pierced the side of the crucified Christ. The blood that spurted forth touched his blind eye and fully restored his sight. This miracle converted Longinus to Christianity and earned the ire of his fellow centurions. The re-enactment reaches its climax when Longinus is caught and beheaded (Pugutan). This occurs on the night of Black Saturday at the riverbed. To accommodate the schedule of visitors and foreign tourists, the beheading is sometimes repeated in the morning of Easter Sunday.

COLORFUL!

The festival is characterized by colorful Roman costumes, painted masks and helmets, and brightly colored tunics. The towns of Boac, Gasan, Santa Cruz, Buenavista and Mogpoc on the island of Marinduque become one gigantic stage. The observances form part of the Lenten celebration of Marinduque while the various towns in the province hold the unique tradition of the pabasa or the recitation of Christ’s passion in verse.

The Via Crucis is also re-enacted and flagellants, known as antipos, inflict suffering upon themselves as a form of atonement.

After three o’clock on Good Friday afternoon, the Santo Sepulco is observed whereby old women exchange verses based on the Bible as they stand in the wake of the dead Christ.

Several of these pageants are staged, some for the local religious folks while others are scheduled at more convenient hours for tourists. Most sightseers stay in Boac, Marinduque’s city capital but the more authentic proceeding in Mogpoc is worth seeing because they have retained a traditional, close-knit community feeling.

Also part of the Moriones Festival is a contest on the most innovative and creative morion costume. Contestants come in odd shapes, colors and unique designs.

As the Moriones festival became better known, commercialism inevitably crept in. Masks made for the performance are often later sold, others are made purely for purchase. T-shirts, hats and other souvenirs of the festival abound along with Marinduque’s traditional handicrafts.