ON THE WAY TO EASTER 3: Moriones Festival

Last Sunday was Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week in Christendom, culminating on Easter Sunday. In tune with Holy Week, Accounting Solver takes a break from cash & accounting matters and talks about rituals, beliefs and practices in the Philippines during Holy Week, ranging from the prayerful and sublime to the cabalistic and bizarre.

The b5media blog that brings you goings-on abroad is Doing Biz Abroad of J Christopher Erb and Jean Mercedes. This week, Accounting Solver goes travelogue and writes about tourist attractions in the Philippines during Holy Week.

Marinduque Island (Southern Philippines) has become known to tourists for its Moriones Festival on Easter Sunday. Resembling a Mardi Gras, the towns of Boac and Gasan have people in Roman centurion costumes who play out the story of Longinus from the Gospel of St John. Longinus who was blind in one eye thrust his spear into the side of the crucified Jesus. He regained his sight when blood spurting from the side of Jesus dropped on his eye.

The stage is the town itself and many of the people participate in the activities.

Pictures from Festivals of the World: Philippines