MORIONES The Festival of Roman Soldiers WHAT IS

MORIONES The Festival of Roman Soldiers

WHAT IS MORIONES? �Held during Holy Week �A festival wherein local folks are dressed as roman soldiers �“Morion” means mask or visor, a part of the Medieval Roman armor which covers the face �Involves the roaming of the Roman soldiers around town, to scare people, especially children as a symbol of their domination

THE HISTORY �Believed to have originated from the town of Mogpog as early as 1807 �Re-enacts the story of Saint 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.

ORIGIN �Happens in the island of Marinduque, Philippines �Originated from the town of Mogpog in 1807, when the parish priest of the said town, Fr. Dionisio Santiago, organized it for the first time

PURPOSE �The purpose of this festival is to re-enact the belief of Christianity when Longinus finally had faith in the power of Christianity �It also brings about sacrifice from the people of Marinduque, showing that they will believe in Christ no matter what and will always be willing to sacrifice, just like what Longinus did

MUSIC �Music used during the festival is similar to that of a parade’s �It sounds like a march with a variety of drums, and trumpets sounding together to create harmony �Typical parade tunes are used so as to make it seem happy when the people in masks come to parade their vibrant and

STATUS �As of today, the Moriones Festival still remains an important celebration, symbolizing the belief of the people in Christ and in Christianity �The Moriones Festival is still being celebrated by the towns folk in Marinduqe, during the time of Holy Week and still remains a reminder of the birth of Christianity and the bravery shown by Saint Longinus

MEMBERS - IB �#36 Alyssa Siycha �#37 Ria. Telan �#38 Abby Trinidad �#39 Magu Tuason �#40 Patricia Vazquez �#41 Kleine. Ventosa �#42 Ronna Yee

SOURCES Retrieved 2/14/2011 from: �http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Moriones_Festival#His tory �http: //www. freedomhealthrecovery. com/marinduq ue/moriones. html �http: //www. philippinecountry. com/philippine_festiv als/moriones_festival. html