Exploring Philippines 70 - Marinduque (Post 5 - Moriones Festival)

On our second day, we spent our morning in the town proper watching the Moriones parade. Since the start of the lenten season, there were frequent organized parades of the Morions around the town of Boac. Parades like the one that we witnessed that Thursday morning brought the town folks and tourists together. And even though this tradition is being observe by the town of Boac for decades, the people here never grow tired of watching this yearly celebration.

We walked around the town of Boac and we had our fill of Moriones experience.  We were able to ride the chariot that will be used during the duration of the festival.  Without any hesitation, the person attending to the chariot allowed us to disturb him for a short period of time just for us to experience the ride and take some souvenir photos.

Likewise, the Morion participants were approachable.  Every time we asked them to pose and have their pictures taken, they readily gave in. I guess this yearly event makes them a celebrity in their own right, making them friendly to the town folks and tourists alike.

At a particular instance, we even borrowed the props of some Morions who willingly lend them to us.  One of the props that caught our attention were the steel blades.  We were surprised to find out that they were actually real steel and they really spent a huge amount to purchase it to be used for this festival.  As we examine the blades, they were dull. The handler said that the steel blades did not undergo further sharpening because accidents may happen with sharp blades.  In this regard, they can toy around with the steel blades without fear of getting cut.

Our long wait was over when the parade started.  We were confined to a particular spot only while intently watching the procession of Morions.  Spectators were in awe about the different and eye-catching costumes that the Morions wore.  One need not be an expert in order to distinguish a costume that is expensive from a plain one.  Aside from the praises of having an expensive costume and likewise standing out from the rest, the monetary prize that a Morion will receive was also a great motivator. 

The parade made my day.  I had so much fun taking pictures of almost all of the Morion participants that day.  I also had some opportunities to mingle with some of them and learn a couple of things in the process.