Traveling to Boac in Marindue, Philippines During the Moriones Festival
ALL-TIME FAVORITE POST FROM 2010 RE-BLOGGED:
You will not travel far from Gasan to Boac, but this short distance will lead you to big differences in terms of its surroundings. Boac is so much different from the former. The streets are wider, the nightlife is... well, uhm, there's a nightlife. There's an internet shop and high sugar orange drinks by the cup and what have you. For a city boy or a city girl, Boac is your place to go to in Marinduque.
But amidst its modernism, Boac, a first class municipality, is still equipped with the Authentic "Old" local flavor. Imagine, the houses are still standing after about a hundred years and well nothing much changed in terms of the people.
You will be surprised that Boac can accommodate any traveler with any kind of budget. There's bigwigs like Boac Hotel and there's little alleys where you can find spartan rooms - cheap accommodations like pension houses and lodging houses. Restaurants are aplenty in the main streets and choices are varied from the local cuisine to baked macaroni which is really good. No Joke!
Our national Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal in front of the town plaza. It's also the hub of Boac Tourism as the office is here. For travelers roaming around Boac and are lost, find Jose Rizal and from there you can ask, not from him of course, but from the many gentlemen who will assist you of your itinerary.
Chipped off but proud, Dr. Jose Rizal stands still in remembrance of how a Filipino once was regarded a HERO. If there's any province i think that's more Filipino, it has to be here in Marinduque.
One of the most popular restuarants around Boac is "Kusina sa Plaza" which serves authentic Filipino cuisine and of course the highly popular Baked Macaroni. Mercader St., Boac, tel: +6342/ 332 1699
Now, it's time to chase the Morions!
Since the parade of the Morions didn't go exactly with my schedule because i was at the beach or i was riding the tricycle, i knew i needed to see for myself up close and personal the Morions so i chased the last remaining costume wearers along the streets of Boac. The story is they were out visiting shops, houses, restaurants like this "caroling" asking for donations.
The Moriones Festival is known widely as one of the most colorful festivals celebrated on the island of Marinduque and the Philippines. Morion means "mask" or "visor," a part of the medieval Roman armor which covers the face. Moriones, on the other hand, refers to the masked and costumed penitents who march around the town for seven days searching for Longinus. Morions roam the streets in town from Holy Monday to Easter Sunday scaring the kids, or engaging in antics or surprises to draw attention. This is a folk-religious festival that re-enacts the story of Saint Longinus, a Roman centurion who was blind in one eye. The festival is characterized by colorful Roman costumes, painted masks and helmets, and brightly-colored tunics. The towns of Boac, Gasan, Santa Cruz, Buenavista and Mogpog in the island of Marinduque become one gigantic stage. The observances form part of the Lenten celebrations of Marinduque. The various towns also hold the unique tradition of the pabasa or the recitation of Christ's passion in verse.[2] Then at three o'clock on Good Friday afternoon, the Santo Sepulcro is observed, whereby old women exchange verses based on the Bible as they stand in wake of the dead Christ. One of the highlights of this festival is the Via Crucis. A re-enactment of the suffering of Christ on his way to the calvary. Men inflict suffering upon themselves by whipping their backs, carrying a wooden cross and sometimes even crucifixion. They see this act as their form of atonement for their sins. This weeklong celebration starts on Holy Monday and ends on Easter Sunday. [3]
Boac Town Plaza in Brgy. San Miguel where everything happens - live concerts, parties, fiestas, etc.
Of course, how can i not end the day in Beautiful Boac without ordering a bottle of ice cold beer. This is one of the many little spots littered on the back streets/alleys of Boac. Surprisingly, there's a crowd of many men and women (mostly Mrinduque born manila based) who drink till the wee hours of the morning and who order grilled food.
I stayed until 5AM. Although this particular stop wasn't exactly pure fun because of some things i would like to forget, i would like to disregard all bad vibes from this trip and focus on the wonders it brought me. Boac is a place i will never forget, true, but its also the place where i will certainly remember because i learned. "You cannot really judge the book by its cover." The people of Boac are warm-hearted. And since i'm not from Marinduque, i would like to be one!
Where to Go in Boac:
Marinduque Museum-Brgy. Malusak
Boac Old Houses-Poblacion
Kabugsakan Falls-Brgy. Tugos
Ginaras Falls and Duyay Caves-Brgy. Duyay
Butterfly Farms-Brgy. Bunganay, Cawit and Amoingon
Hinulugan Falls-Brgy. Sabong
2 Comments:
sucks that ive never seen this moriones festival...
good to see that you're enjoying traveling around the country... as for me, im sucked in my job doing double shifts sometimes (waaah)... iniisip ko na lang, i can save some bucks and backpack again after a couple of years :-)
Hi flipnomad,
Doing the same thing just about now. been burying myself with work so i can save up for yet another backpacking trip this year hopefully outside asia.
Now i can relate with the leaves, and vacations because that's the only time i can travel.
Oh and the Moriones festival is really fun.
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