we were roaming around with Roman guards walking in groups coming from different corners. they were dominating the small rustic town of Boac in the island of Marinduque. 
the Moriones Festival, famous for its colorful masks of Roman soldiers, happens from Holy Monday until the Easter Sunday in the different towns of Marinduque but is largely participated in the towns of Boac, Gasan and Mogpog.
it was believed to have originated in the town of Mogpog as early as 1807. until now, most of the masks are still made in this town. the Festival involves the roaming of these Roman soldirers aroud the town to scare the people especially the children as a symbol of their domination.
it depicts the story of Longinus, the Roman Soldier with one eye blind, who pierced Jesus' body while crucified on the cross. the blood that spurted out from the body of Christ fell on Longinus' blind eye and was healed. from there, Longinus became a convert and was soon beheaded by the Romans.
today, it has already evolved of which part of it is a competition which happens on Holy Thursday. several categories for the different Morion costumes were made to distinguish the quality of each Roman soldier.
this year, it was its first time in the town of Boac, that they included a competition of the depiction of the Longinus story through a group presentation, which i'll feature in the coming posts of the Moriones series.
during Good Friday, they also have a reenactment of the Crucifixion where some of the Morions played their role. its week long activities, will help you reflect and at the same time appreciate the town's tradition.
to many, it seems like a mere competition, but behind every masks, is a devotion of the person to Christ. according to a man whom we met in Gasan, they do it for seven consecutive years to complete their devotion. Moriones Festival is indeed more than just a colorful festival.
Eskapo's Moriones series begins with this post. more more photos of the Moriones Festival in the coming posts.
having no expectations at all of what is in the island of Marinduque, except for the Moriones Festival, we chose the capital town of Boac to be our home for the Holy week.
arriving there around three in the morning, gave us the chance to roam around and look for a coffee shop. we found just one shop and luckily, there's coffee. sat down and one by one locals came and started talking to us.
they refer to us as from "kabila" or from the other side, which refers to Manila. they were very friendly and even recommended us places to stay. we didn't book at any hotels in advance because we're planning to do homestay.
after a conversation over a cup of coffee, we decided to roam around the town and visited the church. we stayed on one of the sheds until the sun came out that displayed the rustic and beautiful town.
old houses similar to the ones in Vigan, Silay and Taal still dominates the central area of the town. though some of the structures are already modern, still the town's serenity makes it beautiful.
just around the town center, stands the museum which is open during weekdays and it has no entrance fee. you get to see the town's geographical timeline and historical items including some of the old Morion masks.
going farther outside the town central, you'll see old houses with intricate pillar and window designs.
if there's something that'll make me go back to Marinduque, it will definitely be the central town of Boac. a place where just by walking around its town center is already an activity.
it has been existing for more than 200years now and the masks were at its best. there were hundreds of Morions during the festival.
more than 300 Morions or Moryonan as the locals call it, participated in the costume competition this year. they were categorized according to the material used on their vestments.
in this post i present Morions using metal plate and leather materials. in my opinion, the best costumes usually came from these categories.
the competition was held at the Moriones Arena at the Boac riverbank. a small wooden platform was set infront of the judges and the audience and each participant made their pose to show their costume.
i was lucky enough to have a good location right infront of the platform but was out of shade. it was really hot during that time but photographers and tourists didn't want to miss it.
Thursday was the highlight of the different competition. they do it before Good Friday, which begins the solemn activities of the town. 
the same competition also happens simultaneously on other towns of Marinduque like Gasan, Mogpog, Buenavista and Sta. Cruz. we only witnessed the one in Boac.
i am quite impressed with how Marinduquenos kept this tradition that it is now world class. if there's one festival in the Philippines that you shouldn't miss, i should say its Moriones Festival.
trip rate:
