Beginning Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, Marinduque, an island province in the Philippines located in Southwestern Tagalog Region, comes to life with the colorful celebration of the Moriones Festival, a lenten and religious event. The “Moriones” refer to the penitents garbed in brightly-colored costumes and painted masks and helmets, replicating the clothing of biblical Imperial Roman soldiers and Syrian mercenaries. The name Moriones was taken after the Spanish word morrion, meaning “helmet.”
The participants march around the town for seven days searching for Longinus, a Roman centurion who was blind in one eye who pierced the side of Jesus with a lance. After piercing Jesus’ side, however, a drop of blood fell on his eye restoring his vision. This began his conversion and belief to Christianity. Unfortunately, his newfound faith led to a tragic end. He was captured and beheaded. He was traditionally venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, and other Christian communions.
The Moriones festival is a depiction of Christ’s passion and resurrection through Saint Longinus’ story.
