MARINDUQUE, Philippines — The usually quiet Marinduque turns into a tourist destination during its peak season, Holy Week.

Here, there is no age limit to wearing the traditional 10-kilogram morions – or masks depicting the faces of Roman centurions – and joining different cultural competitions.

In fact, this year, the youth of Landy National High School (LNHS) in Santa Cruz, Marinduque, bagged the 2018 Battle of the Morions grand champion title. 

The Battle of the Morions, or Moryonan, aims to encourage towns and schools to train the new generation in making morions and costumes, seen as a source of income for communities and out-of-school youth.

Students of Landy National High School perform their Moryonan piece in a festive beat. #HolyWeek2018 @rapplerdotcom @MovePH pic.twitter.com/q0SpyDC3dV

— Abigail Abigan (@eyabigan) March 29, 2018

In an interview, John Arvin Remulin, 14, and Mayvin Pilar 15, both students of LNHS, recalled their experiences during the training and competition. They said these made them understand the essence of the tradition.

It was the first time of LNHS to join the Moryonan. They reenacted the Agony in the Garden, while some performances depicted the miracle and beheading of Longinus, the crucifixion, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Weng Historillo, trainor of LNHS, said he saw how the students appreciated the story.

“Kasi hindi naman sila mahilig magbasa ng Bible. Nakikita lang nila sa TV or naririnig sa simbahan. Siguro sa time ng practice namin, nakita kong mas nakita nila ‘yung istorya, naintindihan nila ‘yung nangyari sa garden ng Gethsemane,” Historillo said.

(They don’t often read the Bible. They usually just see it on TV or hear about it in church. But during our practice, I witnessed how they understood the story of what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane.)

“Hindi lang sila natuto sa pagsayaw. Nakita ko natuto rin sila na maging disiplinado para sa buhay nila,” he added.

(They didn’t just learn how to dance. I saw that they also learned how to be disciplined.)

When asked how they can relate their performance to their daily lives, Pilar said: “Du’n po namin nakikita ‘yung pag-iingat ni Jesus sa mga tao. Maihahalintulad namin ‘yon sa pag-aalaga sa amin ng mga magulang namin, kahit pasaway kami… Mas naintindihan at na-appreciate namin sila ngayon.”

(We realized how Jesus really takes care of His people. We can compare it to how our parents care for us even though we’re hardheaded. We can now understand them and appreciate them more.) – Rappler.com