Gov. Presby Velasco, Jr. made a request to the National Museum (NM) of the Philippines in 2019 for the undertaking of a permanent exhibit at the NM, Marinduque-Romblon museum in Boac featuring Marinduque ethnographic and marine archaeology exhibits as part of the provincial centennial celebration. The return to the province of the National Cultural Treasure, the Marinduque Celadon Jar was likewise programmed for inclusion in the new exhibit.
Completion of the exhibit was undertaken in the midst of the
pandemic and now awaits its formal opening.
Moryonan - Art and Devotion
Locally called “moryon/morion” (mask), full head face masks
are worn by participants as part of their annual practice and a form of
penitence and religious vow. Although this year's Moriones Festival was
cancelled due to the pandemic, this post serves as a reminder to those
returning to work today, at the start of the General Community Quarantine, to
wear their face masks.
Although in Spanish morrión refers to a helmet, locals have
used the term to refer to their full head masks. The moryon is carved using
soft wood varieties such as dapdap (Erythrina variegata) and santol (Sandoricum
koetjape) by local woodcarvers. Its features are usually Caucasian: big-eyed,
open-mouthed, bearded, with a scowling or frowning expression, much like their
ancestors' impression of Europeans or the Spanish colonizers. It is coated with
layers of primer paint before finally adding facial details. It would take a
couple of months to finish a mask. The turbante (helmet/headgear) are then
decorated for instance among the Mogpog penitents with flowers called
Bulaklakang Moryon which was believed to be the original design of their mask.
Moryonan is a week-long observance of Christ’s passion
during Semana Santa (Holy Week) among the people of the province. It is a folk
religious practice to express their panata (vow) as an act of penance or a way
of thanksgiving for good health, successful life, or bountiful harvest or
catch. Central to the event is the participation of local moriones (penitents),
in biblical Roman soldier uniforms and masks, who walk around town under the
sweltering summer heat.
Moryonan is a combination of art and devotion of
Marinduqueños; a solemn socio-cultural activity rather than a tourist
attraction. However, Moryonan was transformed and named Moriones Festival to
promote the local tourism of the province during the 1970s. Different
fraternities (as it is a predominantly male practice) or organizations of
moriones were formed; masks and costumes also became more colorful and
elaborate; and sponsorships from big private companies came into picture.
Despite various changes through the years, moryonan remains to be the province’s
source of pride, conveying spirituality, social solidarity and communal
identity.
In 2012, Moriones Festival and the art of mask-making were
included in the official inventory of the Philippine Intangible Cultural
Heritage (ICH) with the collaboration of the National Commission for Culture
and the Arts (NCCA) and ICH Courier of the Asia Pacific (ICHCAP). And to
further the understanding of this heritage as well as to appreciate the
artisanship of local mask-makers, the National Museum of the Philippines will
be installing a permanent exhibition entitled, Moryonan: Art and Devotion in
our Marinduque-Romblon museum in Boac. ©The National Museum of the Philippines
(2020)
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