Performing Arts: Aklan Province Islands Philippines
page 2... Performing Arts: Aklan Province
Islands Philippines
Word about the miraculous image spread and pilgrims came to worship
it. Several times the town priest moved it to the parish church
but the image always disappeared and was found in the couples
hut again. The priest then explained this strange event by recalling
the Biblical story of the city of Nineveh. Upon learning from the
prophet Jonah that God would destroy the city within 40 days, the
people, in sackcloth and ashes, repented. The people of Boboc on
then did the same thing, and since the, the image has remained in
the parish church.
Up to the 1940s, it was just a local affair. But today it is the
Mardi Gras of the country, and local and foreign tourists flood
the streets of Kalibo to join in the revelry. Many areas in the
country have begun to imitate it. In 1983, it was chosen by the
United Nations Committee on Tourism as Asias best tourist
attraction.
Another performance held in Ibajay town on the third or fourth
Sunday of every January is the sayaw, a playlet depicting the fight
between the Moro and the Visayan. Legend claims that the celebration
began with the appearance of a wooden image of the Santo Niño
to a childless couple in Sitio Boboc-on, Naile. The couple regularly
prayed to their god for a child. One evening, Hangeo took his bamboo
basket and net to got fishing in Ibajay River. Twice he threw his
net into the river whenever he saw a school of fish; but each time,
the net came up with nothing but a piece of driftwood, which he
would throw back into the water. The third time, he placed the piece
of wood in his basket, and then his net was finally filled with
fish. That night, the couple was awakened by strange noises, which
they realized were coming from the piece of wood. They discerned
the features of the Santo Niño crudely marked on it. From
then on, the image performed miracles for them. For instance, the
image guarded the couples rice from birds and other animals.
The most important miracle attributed to the Santo Niño
is that it warded off Muslim invaders centuries ago. Every time
an attack was imminent, a small boy walked up and down the seashore,
brandishing a shining sword. Henceforth, the townspeople would place
the image of the Santo Niño and a sword on the seashore whenever
they sighted the Muslim boats. The sayaw is therefore an act of
appeasement to God and thanksgiving for the Holy Childs blessings.
The sayaw is a war-dance-verse-drama resembling the moro-moro in
its dramatization of the victory of the Christians over the Muslim
invaders. The text is said to have been written by Marianito Dalisay
Calizo in the mid-19th century.
The Christian chieftain and his men, in black costume and colorful
accessories, gather in front of the church. He exhorts them to remain
steadfast in their devotion to the Santo Niño, and the men
chorus their vows of faithfulness. Across the field, the Muslim
leader and his men, dressed in red, vow to attack the Christian
settlement and take the Santo Niño image as hostage.
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Islands Philippines
Travel Quotes:
I still make sure to go, at least once every year, to a country where things cannot be taken for granted, and where there is either too much law and order or too little. Christopher Hitchens
“Everyone carries his own inch rule of taste, and amuses himself by applying it, triumphantly, wherever he travels. Henry Adams
Merienda Philippines Cuisine
Merienda is taken from the Spanish, and is a light meal or snack especially in the afternoon, similar to the concept of afternoon tea. If the meal is taken close to dinner, it is called merienda cena, and may be served instead of dinner.
More details at Merienda Philippines Cuisine Northern Philippine Cuisine
For festive occasions, people band together and prepare more sophisticated dishes. Tables are often laden with expensive and labor-intensive treats requiring hours of preparation. In Filipino celebrations, lechón (also spelled litson) serves as the centerpiece of the dinner table. It is usually a whole roasted pig, but suckling pigs (lechonillo, or lechon de leche) or cattle calves (lechong baka) can also be prepared in place of the popular adult pig.
More details at Northern Philippine Cuisine |