Moryonan Lenten Rite and Moryon Mask Making Featured in ICH Documentary Series

 

Photo Courtesy: Mac Dillera/NCCA

    The moryonan Lenten ritual and the moryon mask making are two Philippine intangible cultural heritage (ICH) elements featured in a series of ICH documentaries produced by International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO (ICHCAP) in partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

    “Moryonan: A Lenten Tradition in Marinduque Island” and “Mukha ng Moryonan: Mask Making for Moryonan Lenten Tradition of Marinduque,” written and directed by journalist and cultural researcher Roel Hoang Manipon, are part of ten documentary series from the Philippines recently released internationally through YouTube in two versions, one with English and the other with Korean subtitles, both running about 27 minutes. Other documentaries tackle the use of mud in traditional Ifugao dyeing; piña weaving of Aklan;the traslacion procession of the Black Nazarene image of Quiapo, Manila; the giant lantern tradition of San Fernando, Pampanga; the feast and traslacion procession of Our Lady Penafrancia of Naga City, Bicol Region; the buklog ritual of the Subanen of the Zamboanga Peninsula; theigal of the Sama people of Tawi-Tawi; and the boat building practices of the Sama people of Tawi-Tawi.

    The documentary series is part of the project of ICHCAP, which is headquartered in Jeonju, Korea, focused on the video documentation of ICH in the Asia-Pacific region, which is being implemented since 2015.The first phase dealt on Central Asian ICH, while the current second phase focuses on Southeast Asian countries. For the Philippines, ICHCAP partnered with the NCCA.The Philippine ICH video documentation team was led by NCCA Secretariat’s Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts Section headed by Renee Talavera; theater veteran and Mindanao culture expert Nestor T. Horfilla as consultant for Mindanao and co-director of some of the documentaries; and Manipon as main writer and researcher, and co-director of some of the documentaries.

    “Rituals, traditions, practices, customs, expressions, knowledge and skills, collectively grouped as intangible cultural heritage, are some of the most impactful factors in shaping civilization and culture, and thus their study yields invaluable insights into many aspects of social relationships and human development,” Manipon explained. “However, they are also ephemeral and highly mutable, depending mostly on memory, dedication and community for its preservation and continuity. Especially now with the rapid growth of urbanization and globalization, ICH elements, especially the traditional ones, are in danger of vanishing and/or alteration.

    “Modern technology, however, also provided a way to safeguard these ICH elements, enabling us to document them, intensify awareness and make them more accessible through audio-visual means,” he added.

    The moryonan or pagmomoryon is the well-known and distinctive penitential rite of the Tagalog people in the small island province of Marinduque, southwest of Luzon Island.Townspeoplewear masks and costumes, and roam the streets in the oppressive of summer during Holy Week as penitence, vow, expression of gratitude and request for something. They are called moryon. The practice also involves the reenactment of the story of the Roman soldier Longinus, locally called Longhino, who is said to stab Jesus Christ with his spear during His crucifixion.Every town in Marinduque now practices the moryonan such as Gasan, Santa Cruz and the capital Boac, but the tradition originated in Mogpog, where the most traditional form of the practice is still exists. The moryonan has become a main tourist attraction in the province as well as its strong cultural marker and identity.

    The most distinctive feature of the moryonan is the wearing of masks, which not only hides the identity of the wearer but also contributes to the discomfort, thus enabling the wearer to relive the suffering of Jesus Christ. The moryon masks are carved out of local wood and are made and designed by folk artisans, who learned the craft from their elders. There are fewer than ten moryon mask-makers in Marinduque, all concentrated in the town of Mogpog, where the most traditional form of the moryonan is still practiced.