The Moriones Festival, The Story and Origin

Throughout the entire Philippines this is one of the famous festival during Lenten Season, the Mariones Festival. It is a festival where people wear Morion or centurion costumes and enacts the time that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified in the cross and how Longinus came to be a Christian.

Many tourists and Filipinos come to this island of Marinduque, the heart of the Philippines, just to experience watching the “Moriones” walk and dance on the street while parading. The highlight of the festivity is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the life of Longinus, who was re-born by faith and became witness of Jesus Christ. This re-enactment of the event shows that it is the sign of confirming our faith back to God. With this highlight made the festivity marvelous, an eyecatching experience.

Much to our awe, this marvelous festival had gone through barriers of time. No concrete orientation of it's history only the old folks of Marinduquenos knows it. Through the imaginative thoughts of the Marinduquenos this festival had flourished with the creation of the masks of the “Moriones”.

This festival, the Moriones Festival, was taken from the story of the centurion named Longinus. He was a Roman soldier, a captain of the soldiers in-charge of the execution of Jesus of Nazareth and the two thieves. He had one eye blind but was cured by the blood of Jesus Christ that dripped through his spear when he pierced the dead Jesus Christ. After three days when Christ rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, Longinus became an eye-witness of Jesus Christ's miracle and because this he was chased and caught by the very soldiers that he once lead. He was beheaded as a sign of threat to those who will become witnesses of Jesus Christ.

It was believed that this festival was founded because of the religiousness of the Marinduquenos but there are no clear evidence as to where this festivity rooted. It was 1960's, specifically 1963, when the government had made a history writing contest of the Province of Marinduque. Then that was the time that this little island of Marinduque gained prominence because of the discovery of the Moriones Festival but still the real origin is untold.

Some says that the festival originated from Boac but some says that it is from Mogpog. From wherever this festival really originated it had made a great impact of Christianity to people visiting the place and the festivity.

Kwento Ni Toto will be having series of stories about this Moriones Festival and will be unfurling stories and discoveries about this festivity and its origin.

MORIONES FESTIVAL Mogpog, Marinduque