The Gasan Easter Festival

In 2002 a new daytime Easter festival for Gasan that involved wider participation by barangays residents was conceptualized. It was aimed to entice Holy Week visitors to stay longer in the island, particularly in Gasan that prided itself as the cultural nerve-center of Marinduque.

Gasan was where the moriones tradition, referred then as "Muryon" was discovered by Manila-based journalists in the 1960s. Prior to its 'discovery' there was no other account of any Philipine festival characterized by the use of masks. Years thereafter, the moriones festivities became centered in the town of Boac being the capital town where the moriones tradition had a considerable following.

"Gasang-Gasang Easter Sunday Festival" was thus introduced. (This blogger, who was invited in 2001 to take part in Gasan's cultural affairs by the mayor, Vicky Lao Lim, had thought of the name "Gasang-Gasang Festival", (gasang-gasang, corals, is where the name of the town originated), for another new festival to be held in August of each year to celebrate the town's founding anniversary.

Gasan's Lenten celebration organizers, Prof. Rex Asuncion and Councilor Joey Luna, however, decided to use that name instead for its Easter festival until it became officially adopted, through a resolution, by the municipal board).

This festival, although popular now and has attracted participation even by contingents from neighboring towns continues to evolve as it attempts to break away from apparent infuences in the sounds and street-dance movements from similar festivals elsewhere, such as Cebu's "Sinulog" and Iloilo's "Dinagyang".

Guidelines on the headgear and costume requirement are updated annually. This year, organizers introduced the use of native costumes and dances purportedy drawing inspiration from the Easter Salubungan's "Bati" dances, with costume changes incorporating the moriones regalia and "samaritana" costumes for the final act.

"Viva El Kristo", shouts are then heard in praise for the Risen Christ, apparently plucked from the popular cry, "Viva Senor Sto. Nino!"

LENT IN GASAN: MORE ON GASANG-GASANG FESTIVAL

This year is the seventh time that the Easter Gasang-Gasang Festival is being held in Gasan. It was initiated by Mayor Vicky Lao Lim in 2002 and was held annually up to 2005. It did not receive encouragement from the new municipal administration that took over in 2006 (and consequently was not held that year). In 2007, however, under the auspices of GASCUAF (Gasan Culture & Arts Foundation), a private foundation supported by Mayor Lao-Lim, Gasang-Gasang Festival" was revived but not without extreme pressure from the sitting administration then. GASCUAF and the participating contingents were not allowed to use public spaces (such as the Gasan Central School grounds and the Guingona Park). The organizers held this public activity in a privately owned niyugan, coconut farm in Libtangin, a few kilometers away from the town, where an open space was enough to accommodate a big-sized crowd.
There was no resistence when responsible members of the Sangguniang Bayan ng Gasan decided in the same year to adopt an ordinance declaring Gasang-Gasang Easter Festival as an officially-recognized festival of the said municipality with necessary funds to support it.

Mayor Vicky Lao-Lim won the elections in May 2007. Thus, highly successful and bigger "Gasang-Gasang Festivals" were held during the last three summers. It has found popular support and acceptance both here and abroad and has become the festival to see in Marinduque come Easter Sunday.

LENT IN GASAN: GASANG-GASANG FESTIVAL

It was in Gasan where scholars and journalists first discovered the existence of the Morions way back in the 60's. After it caught the imagination of the world in view of its uniqueness as a Lenten tradition, the introduction of ideas to come up with a more elaborate festival was entertained and pursued by the local leaders. Eventually, the holding of the evening cenaculo ("Pugutan" they called it because the play ends with the martyrdom of Longhino), was conceptualized in Gasan to replace the Easter Sunday moryonan street play (also called by the same name, Pugutan).

The "pugutan"-cenaculo was introduced during the incumbency of Mayor Mendoza. The commissioned playwright wrote then that it was intended to "put more meaning" into the ritual as this meaning "is lost" in the traditional street-play highlighted by the chase and mock-beheading of Longhino. Boac, the capital town followed suit years later, using the new Gasan script, the Malolos, Bulacan 'cenaculo' script, and additional scripts written by local writers.

The reason for the change propagated in Boac, then, and supported by many was for the bigger number of visitors and tourists to see the 'pugutan' in the form and context of a Saturday evening cenaculo, as most of them depart from Marinduque already on Easter Sunday morning.

The "Gasang-Gasang" concept was formulated this time is for present-day visitors and tourists to find good reason to stay longer on the island-province of Marinduque.

"GASANG-GASANG" IN THE HEAT OF THE SCORCHING SUN!

"GASANG-GASANG FESTIVAL 2008"

"GASANG-GASANG EASTER FESTIVAL" in Gasan stole the thunder the whole day of Easter 2008 in Marinduque. All of Marinduque trooped to town's Guingona Park to witness the six-year old festival. The mammoth crowd that came drove Mayor Vicky Lim to quip: "This huge crowd is a clear expression that the Gasenos and the many visitors who have come want this festival to continue!"

The festival is a mix of 'Sinulog' inspired street dancing and 'Moriones' where participants in 'samaritana' costumes and 'moriones' costumes dance in jubilation as they shout "Viva El Kristo!" for the Risen Christ. (More Photos)

MARINDUQUE MORIONES 2008

Various activities have been lined up by the six municipalities of Marinduque in connection with the Moriones 2008 Lenten celebration. The municipality of Gasan, re-asserting itself as the cultural nerve-center of Marinduque expects a huge turn-out of participants to the annual GASANG-GASANG EASTER FESTIVAL , a street-dancing competition to highlight Christ's Resurrection. Contingents from nearby towns have registered. New activities like a kite flying competition and film-showing of adaptations of Jesus' stories have also been scheduled.

In partnership with the local community theater group, TEATRO BALANGAW, curtains will rise on Holy Thursday and Black Saturday for the Gasan premiere presentation of "ANG KRISTO: PASYON-DULA", a three and-a-half hour play on the life of Christ. The play is composed of an amateur cast of 65 local artists from the towns of Boac, Gasan and Buenavista, and features noted Repertory stage-actor JOHN ARCILLA as KRISTO. To be shown at Guingona Park, Gasan 7:30 pm March 20 & 22, 2008.