The story
Moriones Festival in Marinduque
Moriones is a Holy Week festival on the island province of Marinduque in which men dress as Roman soldiers in colorful carved masks and costume, reenacting the legend of Longinus, the centurion whose sight was restored by Christ's blood at the crucifixion, across the island's towns and villages.
Moriones Festival takes its name from the term Morion, referring to the Roman soldier costumes and masks worn by performers throughout the island province of Marinduque during Holy Week, and the tradition is generally traced to the late nineteenth century, when a local priest is credited with introducing the practice as a way of dramatizing the Passion story for parishioners.