Contemporary Arts

The Province of Eastern Samar

Submitted by:

Magno, Clarence Aragon

 Eastern Samar Province is near at the Philippine sea and it has a total landmass of 4,339.6
square kilometers and has 23 municipalities wherein it has 597 barangays. Based on the census
the number of people in the area reaches 457,160 as for 2015. It is located at region XIII, and the
province major language used is Waray. Eastern Samar became an independent province by
virtue of Republic Act No. 4221 which Congress approved on June 19, 1965 dividing the then
existing old province of Samar into three separate provinces, namely; Northern Samar, Western
Samar (subsequently renamed Samar) and Eastern Samar.

Eastern Samar offers a lot of varieties of tourist spots from waterfalls, caves, white
beaches, stunning rock formations and even giant waves that are ideal for surfing. Also, it has a
hidden gem with a lot of thrilling eco-tourism destinations. The province is rich at the resources
such as metallic materials like nickel copper, manganese, iron, gold and aluminum and the
abundance of non-metallic materials such as coal, clay, sand, rock and jade. The water resources
of the area are supplied by 8 major river basins, creeks, springs, marsh and falls. The weaving of
Banig in Samar is a century-old art and the lifeblood of the Basey Municipality. It is said that
even before Spaniards arrived in the Philippines, the Baseynon's were already weaving banig
mats. From generation to generation, the handiwork and artisanal skills involved in banig
weaving were meekly handed down.

Agriculture and fisheries are the primary industries in the province. Bread, vegetables,
coconuts, bananas, pineapple and other fruits are the province main agricultural products. While
the marine products are fishes like mackerel, tuna and tropical aquarium fishes, lobster, crab,
shells and seaweed etc. Eastern Samar significance forest resources are logs and rattan.

Waray-Waray are often stereotyped as brave warrior as there is a famous phrase relating
to the Waray: “Waray never back down from a fight.” and farming and fishing are their main
livelihood. Waray-Waray are also called as Waray, Samaran or Samareño.

The Waray’s descendants is Austronesian-speaking that arrive in the Eastern Visayas

region during 1200 BC- 500 AD. They are known for their practice of Roman Catholicism, the
animalistic tradition. This religious syncretism is called “Mayaw Mayaw”, a stylized dance
introduced by the Spanish and the pre-existing animism of the indigenous Waray that combines
elements of Western Christianity and the tradition is preserved and continuously doing every 10th
of May each at the Pinabacdao, Eastern Samar. Waray’s also a drama playing activity before to
entertain the constituents of the town and it is usually play in the town’s fiesta. The writing and
presentation were usually commissioned by the ‘heremano mayor’. It is continuously doing right
now in the tradition of the hadi-hadi and thezarzuela.

The manufacturing of weaved mats, or banigs, traditionally made with tikog plants grown
in rice fields or marshes, is an industry with a strong tradition that remains in the Waray
provinces. There are many different techniques, patterns and colors, the design of pintados being
the most common with tourists.
 The Kuratsa is the most popular traditional dance in Eastern Samar. It is
performed in family reunion, barangay fiesta pasayaw, weddings and other social
gatherings. It is from “la curacacha” means the cockroach which is a Mexican folk dance.
The kuratsa is a Waray couples dance that’s still performed at weddings and other social
events. hey’re accompanied by singers clapping, and music played on guitars. In Leyte, the
dancers are sometimes tied with a handkerchief, and the tied dancer is free only when the partner
drops money on a scarf on the ground. In Eastern Samar, newlyweds dance the kuratsa at least
three times, with sponsors dancing in between and casting money bills to them into the air or
onto a scarf on the floor.

The Waray’s famous song is Kuratsa

but  it was later confirmed by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts that the dance was indeed
indigenous Waray in origin, not Mexican. The dance depicts a courtship dance which exemplifies the movements of
the rooster and the hen, which were prized commodities for the indigenous Waray people

The weaving of Banig in Samar is a century-old art and the lifeblood of the Basey
Municipality. It is said that even before Spaniards arrived in the Philippines, the
Baseynon's were already weaving banig mats. From generation to generation, the
handiwork and artisanal skills involved in banig weaving were meekly handed down.

https://www.dabudgetarian.com/eastern-samar-tourist-spot/

https://aboutphilippines.org/files/THE_WARAY_CULTURE.pdf

https://jiebelle.weebly.com/kuratsa.html

https://placeandsee.com/wiki/pinabacdao

https://coldteacollective.com/filipino-is-just-the-first-level/

https://discoveringphilippines.com/eastern-samar-rooted-in-history-and-natural-beauty/

https://www.booksurfcamps.com/news/surfing-philippines

https://members.tripod.com/ust_ism/region8/eastern_samr.htm

https://www.taclobanhotels.com/KURATSA-FESTIVAL.htm

https://www.unesco-ichcap.org/eng/ek/sub3/pdf_file/domain2/021_Kuratsa_Dance.pdf
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1026675#:~:text=Kuratsa%20is%20one%20of%20the,%2C%20family
%20reunions%2C%20and%20weddings.&text=The%20%22Kuratsa%22%20dance%20in
%20Samar,rooster%20attracted%20to%20a%20hen.

https://coldteacollective.com/filipino-is-just-the-first-level/

https://jiebelle.weebly.com/kuratsa.html