Grade 7 ARTS 4th QUARTER

Philippine Festivals and Theatrical Forms

 Grade 7 ARTS 4th QUARTER

Philippine Festivals and Theatrical Forms

OVERVIEW

A festival is an event celebrated during fiestas that focuses on some cultural aspect of a
community whether religious or traditional.

Philippine theater is a form of art that uses live performers who work together to present an
experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place like a stage.

This quarter presents briefly the different forms of theater to be found in the Philippines as
well as the different religious and nonreligious festivals celebrated throughout the country.

. OBJECTIVE

The end of this module the leaners will be able to:

 Demonstrate an understanding on how theatrical elements (sound, music, gesture,

movement, and costume) affect the creation and communication of meaning in Philippine
festivals and theatrical forms as influenced by history and culture.
 Display a theater and performance as a synthesis of arts and a significant expression of the
celebration of life in various Philippine communities.
 Create appropriate festival attire with accessories based on authentic festival costumes
 Produce/Improvise appropriate sound, music, gesture, movements, and costume for a
chosen theatrical composition

First Week

Religious Festivals

Various festivals are celebrated in the Philippines all throughout the year. Most of these
festivals are religious in nature and are celebrated in honor of a particular saint, or to commemorate a
holy event.

A.Pahiyas Festival- Lucban, Quezon

The Pahiyas Festival is an annual celebration held every 15 th of May in honor of San Isidro
Labrador, the patron saint of farmers in the Philippines. Pahiyas showcase houses adorned with
fruits, vegetables, agricultural products, handicrafts, and kiping. Kiping is a decoration made from rice
flour and can be grilled of fried afterwards for eating.

Tourists join the Pahiyas festival to see the colorfully decorated houses and participate in the
procession of San Isidro Labrador.
B. Sayaw sa Obando - Obando, Bulacan

The famous Sayaw sa Obando is a ritual done annually which is celebrated in May to honor
three patron saints—San Pascual Baylon, the model of religious virtue; Santa Clara, the saint to
whom married women pray to bear children and single women pray to request for a mate; and
Nuestra Senora de Salambao to whom fisherman and farmers pray for a good harvest.

C. Moriones Festival - Marinduque

The Moriones Festival is a colorful, weeklong celebration that starts on Holy Monday and
culminates on Easter Sunday when the story of Longinus is re-enacted in pantomime. Morion means
the “mask or visor that is a part of the medieval Roman armor which covers the face."

Moriones refers to the masked and costumed penetints who march around the town for seven
days searching for Longinus.

D. Ati-atihan Festival - Kalibo, Aklan

The The Ati-atihan Festival is called "Mother of all Filipino festivals. It is a two-week
celebration held in January. The festival is celebrated in honor of the Sto. Niño, who the indigenous
Ati believes is the one who saved them from the Moros.
 Festival participants paint their faces with black soot and wear colorful costumes.

E.Sinulog Festival - Cebu

Cebu's Sinulog Festival is the most important festival in the Philippines because it
commemorates the acceptance of Catholicism and the triumph of Christianity over secular religions. It
is held annually on the third Sunday of January.

The street parade is the highlight of the festival because it lasts for 12 hours. Parade
participants come from different parts of the country wearing colorful attire while dancing graceful
rhythmic dance patterns.

F. Dinagyang Festival- Iloilo

The DInagyang festival is celebrated every fourth week of January of right after ng Sinulog
Festival in Cebu and the Ati-atihan Festival in Kalibo, Aklan. The Dinagyang is religious and cultural
festival held in honor of the Sto. Nino and to celebrate the arrival of Malay settlers in Panay and the
subsequent selling of the island to them by the Atis.

The highlights of the festival are the Ati- Atihan Competition, the kasadyahan Festival, the foot
and fluvial procession, and the religious sadsad or religious street dance.

G. Santacruzan

The Flores de Mayo, also known as Flores de Maria ( Flowers of Mary) or Alay (offering) is a
yearly Catholic and Aglipayan celebration that pays tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary. There are two
other events during Flores de Mayo which led Filipinos to name it the “ Queen of All Festivals”: the
Santacruzan and the Sagala.

The Santacruzan is a weeklong street pageant held in almost every Filipino town honoring
beautiful maidens selected for their embodiment of traditional Filipina qualities and their handsome
escorts under the hand-carried and flower decked bamboo arches. It is held in honor of Helena of
Constantinople (known as Reyna Elena) and Constantine the Great on finding the True Cross of
Jesus.

The Sagala refers to girls and women who play important roles in Flores de Mayo's
culminating parade, the Santacruzan.

Both are an occasion to gather local Filipino church groups and celebrate their faith through
thanksgiving and remembrance of the culture and heritage of the Philippines.

Second Week

Nonreligious Festivals

Aside from the religious festivals celebrated in various parts of the Philippines, there are also
festivals which are being held to celebrate special occasions and other cultural events. These refer to
nonreligious festivals which often feature street parades and colorful costumes worn by the dancers
in these parades.

A. Panagbenga Festival - Baguio

The Panagbenga is a month- long annual celebration. It expresses all the aspects of moral
values, traditions, and history of Baguio and Cordillera Region.

The festival features flower- decked floats and displays as well as Ibaloi street dancing

B. Masskara Festival - Bacolod

The MassKara Festival is an annual celebration held during the third week of October. The
term “Masskara” is created from two words: mass, meaning crowd, and the Spanish word cara,
meaning face. Thus, the term can refer to both “mask” and “many faces.”
 The smiling mask, which is the symbol of the fiesta, was conceived by the organizers to show
the resilience and persevering spirit of the Negrenses.

C.Kaamulan Festival - Bukidnon

The Kaamulan festival is originally held as a gathering of the different Bukidnon tribes for a
common purpose. It is held annually in Malaybalay City from the 2nd half of February to March 10
and showcases the unique indigenous culture of Bukidnon.

Festival tribal folks who represent the hill tribes and the customs and traditions of the seven
tribal groups that inhabited the region, namely, the Bukidnon, Higaonon, Talaandig, Manobo,
Matigsalug, Tigwahanon, and Umayamnon wear their intricately woven costumes studded with
trinkets, anklets, earrings, necklaces, leglets, headdresses, and amulets.

Kaamulan Festival is a meaningful ceremony thet reflects the richness and diversity of
Bukidnon culture.

D. Kadayawan Festival- Davao

The Kadayawan is a weeklong celebration of thanksgiving in celebration of a good harvest. It

is celebrated every 3rd week of August by the various tribes parading with floats and indak-indak sa
kadalanan or street dancing wearing their tribal costumes and jewelries.
 “Kadayawan" is derived from the prehistoric word “ madayaw," a warm and friendly greeting
which similarly means valuable, superior, beautiful, good, or profitable. In Mandaya, it means
anything that brings fortune, a celebration of life, a thanksgiving for the gifts of nature, the wealth of
culture, the bounties of harvest, and serenity of living.

E. Ibalong Festival

This festival is celebrated by the City of Legaspi, in Albay during the second week of October. It
recalls the regions early beginnings. A special attraction is a costume and mask parade representing
Bicol’s ancient heroes such as Baltog, Handiong and Bantong as well as the villains from their stories.

Third Week to Fourth Week

Representative Philippine Theatrical Forms

Since Filipinos are innately talented and creative, different forms of theater performances have
already evolved and are being presented in various parts of the country. Some of the theatrical forms
were influenced by other cultures, while several were a product of colonization.

Puppetry

The first puppet theater was done by Jose Rizal when he staged the carillo or shadow puppetry.
Rizal used a box and a stick which he placed at the back of a white cloth illuminated by candlelight at
the back of the puppets.

Since 1972 up to present, different puppet groups emerged on stage and television inspired by
the puppetry traditions of other countries. Puppets are effective mediums to educate kids and teach
them lesson on proper behavior and good manners.

Types of Puppetry

A. Hand Puppets

These puppets are made of foam and cloth with the

puppeteer's hand holding the flap to open the puppet's mouth.
Manipulations are limited to the mouth, neck, arms, and hands.
The puppeteer either kneels down or stands up performing from
below.
B. Rod Puppetry

These puppets are similar to Japan’s

bunraku. Puppet movements of the head, arms
and feet are manipulated through rod.

C. Giant Puppetry

These life- size puppets are made from foam

and their heads are sometimes constructed using
fiberglass. The puppeteer manipulates the
movements of the puppets by walking, dancing,
and jumping inside the puppets.

D. Stick Puppetry

This type of puppetry uses cardboard

and sticks which the puppeteer manipulates
from below.

E. Shadow Puppetry

This type of puppetry uses puppets cut out

from animal skin and sticks. The puppeteer
manipulates the puppets from the back of the
white cloth with light shining at the back of the
puppets.
F. Black Theater

These puppets are made of foam, rope, cloth, fake

fur, wig, and stuffing, and the whole body can be
manipulated. Puppeteers perform from behind
using black light to illuminate the design and color
of the puppets.

G. String Puppets

String puppets are made of wood,

rubber, steel, or fiberglass which the puppeteer
manipulates through strings from above. These
strings control the head, arms, hands, and feet
movement. This type of puppetry is done in the
Philippines by the Ifugaos whose puppets are
created using yarn and thread.

Dance Drama

This drama is conveyed by dance movements and sometimes accompanied by dialogue .

Philippine Drama

Modern Philippine drama or stage play was revived with the establishment of the Repertory
Philippines in June of 1967. Repertory Philippines is the country's leading theater company founded
by Zeneida Amador and Baby Barredo,

Types of Philippine Drama Before the Spanish Period

a. Duplo - a poetical debate held by trained men and women on the last night of the mourning period
for the dead

b. Karagatan - a poetical debate like the duplo, with amateur participants held at home. The first
recorded drama staged in Cebu is a comedia written by Vicente Puche.

Three Kinds of Plays

1.Moro-moro

The Moro moro is a cloak and danger play depicting the war hetween Christians and Muslims
usually performed during town hestas. The first Moro-moro was written by Pr Jeronimo Perez. It was
staged in Manila in 1631 to commemorate Governor General Consuera's victory over the Muslims of
Mindanao

2. Sarsuwela
 The sarsuwela is a three act musical.comedy play with songs and dances with a nationalistic
theme and plot. It is intended to evoke feelings of love. fear, griet, sorrow, or other emotional
reactions like the political and social conditions of the Philippines, The Junto Al Pasig (Beside the
Pasig) is a sarsuwela written by Jose Rizal, It was staged at the Ateneo de Manila on December 8,
1880 on the occasion of the celebration of the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception.

3 Senakulo

The senakulo is a dramatic presentation about the life sacrifices and death of Jesus Christ like
the passion play presented and celebrated during Holy Week a. Kinds of senakulo presentations

a. hablada (oral) b. cantada (song)

Fifth Week

Elements of Theater

Theater is a branch of performing arts that is concerned with acting out stories in front of an
audience, with the use of a combination of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound, and spectacle.

Theater takes such forms as plays, musicals, opera, ballet, illusion, mime, improvisational
theater, stand-up comedy, pantomime, and non-conventional forms like performance art.

Theater music is any music designed to form part of a dramatic performance, as for example, a
ballet, stage play, motion picture, or television program.

Modern dance like ballet technique and jazz dance also takes theatrical forms.

Elements of Theater

1.Sound and Music is an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions through the
elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color . The different kinds of sound effects used in a play
or a musical are some examples of this element.

Sound and Music adds atmosphere, puts emphasis to an action happening on stage, helps set
the scene, indicates a change of time or location, and helps focus attention to a character.

2. Gesture, Movement, and Dance refers to the way of carrying oneself while performing dance
movements.

Gesture includes the use of any body part to communicate ideas just like what ballet dancers
do when they integrate their skill and interpretation to perform movements on stage. Theatrical dance
is usually a performance on a stage done by accomplished dancers. It tells a story using mime,
costume, and scenery or it may simply interpret a musical accompaniment.

3.Costumes, Masks, Makeup, and Accessories are the things created or put together by a
costume designer for the use of actors in their performance. Sometimes, masks are needed to
enhance a character's role in portraying non-human characters. Makeup is used to age a character or
alter his or her gender as required in the play.

4. Spectacle includes all aspects of scenery, costumes, and special effects in a production that
creates a parallel world and atmosphere of the play for the audience to experience. The ritual dances
that feature dressed-up spectacles in the streets can be considered an example of this element.
Name:________________________ Section:____________________

Grade 7 ARTS 4th QUARTER

Philippine Festivals and Theatrical Forms
First Week

Activity 1

Complete the chart.

Festivals Province Description

Pahiyas Festival

Bulacan

Moriones Festival

Cebu

Iloilo

Activity 2

Pretend that you are a participant in one of the festivals. Draw a mask that you will use. Draw it in the
box.
Name:_____________________ Section:___________
Grade 7 ARTS 4th QUARTER
Philippine Festivals and Theatrical Forms
Second Week

Activity 1
Describe the following festivals.

1.Panagbenga Festival
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

2.Masskara Festival
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

3.Kaamulan Festival
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

4.Kadayawan Festival
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

Activity 2
Name:_____________________ Section:___________
Grade 7 ARTS 4th QUARTER
Philippine Festivals and Theatrical Forms
Third Week and Fourth Week

Activity 1
Briefly describe the following theatrical forms.

1. Shadow Puppet Play

________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

2.Dance Drama
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

3.Moro-moro
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

Activity 2
Create your own hand sock puppet

Materials

Old socks buttons glue stick glue gun

Yarn white glue scissors

Steps:
1.Get an old sock and glue buttons on it for the eyes of the puppet.
2.Cut several pieces of yarn of the same length and glue them on the puppet’s head for its pieces.
3.Let it dry completely.

Examples of hand sock puppet:

Name:_____________________ Section:___________
Grade 7 ARTS 4th QUARTER
Philippine Festivals and Theatrical Forms
Fifth Week

Activity 1
Define the following.

1.Sound and Music

2.Gesture, Movement, and Dance

3.Costumes, Masks, Makeup and Accessories

4.Spectacle