Marinduque’s Moriones Festival | A Recollection of Faith

Has anyone thought of what Moriones Festival is all about? For many, this is one fancy event in Marinduque, Philippines where huge and tall male catholic devotees wear mask-like Centurions during the Roman Empire and litter the town's streets for the entertainment of tourists visiting the island.

Moriones in the streets of Sta. Cruz, Marinduque

The Holy Week is celebrated by Catholics but many are not aware that moriones actually have originated from the story of a Roman soldier named Longinus, who pierced the side body of Christ when the Jesus was crucified.  The blood of Christ splattered on his blind eye and healed him instantly, making him a believer of Jesus as the Son of God. After getting healed, he then rejoiced and disseminated the news of Jesus’ resurrection that led to his public execution performed by his fellow centurions.

A morion passing by in one of the oldest/ancestral houses in Sta. Cruz, Marinduque

In Marinduque, this festival is staged as part of the “Sinakulo” where Longinus the Roman soldier is seen being chased (in comedic way) by the Moriones   until he’s captured and beheaded in front of the mob.

I decided to visit Sta. Cruz, Marinduque together with friends to witness my very first morion. And it wasn’t disappointing that on the very first day (Monday) we already spotted some Morions walking on the street where we excitedly requested for a picture taking.

Young children participate in the annual Moriones Festival

As we explore the sleepy town of Sta. Cruz, we have witnessed the preparation of the Centurions parading on the street and it was just so entertaining to watch these guys being approached by the people to have a piece of a picture with them . What surprised me was witnessing the young generation participating as little moriones, scaring some spectators especially children on the street of Sta. Cruz.

Don't get scared, just chill watching the morions parading the streets of Sta. Cruz, Marinduque

I just hope that people be reminded that this event was created not only to entertain but to rekindle our faith to God and be a believer of what true love is, as what Jesus did sacrificing His own life for the salvation of human kind.

 

Together with me in this journey (L-R) : Lovemindanao, Ramil, Cynthia, Morion, Ruth, and Malou 

How to Get to Marinduque?

Guess who's in the mask ? 

From Manila, there are buses (JAM or JAC) in Buendia or in Kamias Kamuning in Cubao that would take you directly to Lucena Quezon, the fare was roughly P200.00.

If the bus did not take you to Dalahican Port, you can take a tricycle (Php30.00/pax) to the pier. There are two major shipping lines that can take you to Balanacan, Marinduque, one is Montenegro and the other one is Starhorse, fare is just Php 260.00 plus a terminal fee of Php 30.00.

The Ferry schedule bound for Balanacan is almost every three hours with the last trip at 4:00pm.

At Balanacan Port, jeepneys and vans wait for passengers bound for Sta. Cruz, fare is Php 80.00.

If you are already tired of the sight seeing in the mainland Marinduque, you can bring your friends and family for an island hopping in Maniwaya.

And if you have the budget for a posh staycation I could really suggest visiting Marikit-Na Beach Resort.

Where to Stay in Sta. Cruz, Marinduque?

If you don’t have relatives or friends to crash in in Marinduque, here is the list of few accommodations you can choose from:

Accommodation in Sta.Cruz Marinduque	Address	Contact
Dewey Hotel and Restaurant Cheapest (Php 350 non-aircon)	Zamora St. Brgy. Maharlika	(+63) 919.642.6550
Oromismo 898 (Near the plaza- expensive for Php 1600.00	Gomez St., Brgy. Maharlika	(+63 42).321.3024
Red’s Hotel  (Mediocre for Php1200)	Brgy. Pag-asa., Sta. Cruz	+63 939.171.4361
Residencia de Palo Maria Beach and Resort& Hotel (expensive for Php 1500)	Brgy. Maniwaya	+63 46 517.2819/ +63 919.237.5633/ +63 917.954.0495
Casa Marino	Brgy.Mongpong	+63 921.508.5771

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