Phil Lit during the Spanish period

Research on the following topics and explain each:

1. karilyo/carillo

Shadow play (similar to puppet show) was made of cardboard figures projected on a
white screen. The manipulator supply the action and the dialogue. Puppetry in the
Philippines started since the time of Dr. Jose Rizal, our national hero, when he
staged the play entitled “CARILLO” or shadow puppetry. Rizal used a carton and a
stick and he placed this at the back of a white cloth. Then he used a candle light
at the back of the puppets.

A form of dramatic entertainment

Performed during a town fiesta oron a dark night after a harvest
Made by projecting cardboard figures or gestures before a lampagainst a white sheet
The figures are moved like Marionettes
The dialogues are drawn from a Corrido or Awit

2. comedya de capa y espada

A blood and thunder melodrama which depicted the conflict between the Christians
and the Muslims. Of course the Christians always emerged as victors in the
struggle. The MORO-MORO like the Cenaculo, is presented also on a special stage.
This is performed during town fiestas to entertain the people and to remind them of
their Christian religion. Example: “Prinsipe Rodante” The earliest known form of
organized theater is the comedia, or moro-moro, created by Spanish priests. In 1637
a play was written to dramatize the recent capture by a Christian Filipino army of
an Islamic stronghold. It was so popular that other plays were written and staged
as folk dramas in Christianize villages.

3. pasyon

A narrative poem on the life of Christ was chanted during the Lenten season. The
most popular was the "Ang mahal na passion ni Jesu Cristong panginoon natin" By
Aquino de Belen.

From Spanish passion

A type of doctrinal and didactic religious verse that narrates the life of Jesus
Christ.
Written in the quintilla verse, that is, a stanza of 5 lines with each line
containing 8 syllables.
Often chanted antiphonally in the pabasa (reading) held during Ash Wednesday, the
Sundays of Lent, and HolyWeek. Two or more singers alternate in chanting the verses
of the text, while seated in front of an altar.
Pabasa may be held at home, in a visita (chapel), or in a makeshift tent called
kubol in Tagalog and abungabongin Ilocano.

4. Doctrina Cristiana

Catholic Catechism, written in 1593 by Fray Juan de Plasencia, and is believed to

be one of the earliest booksprinted in the Philippines. The first book printed in
the Philippines has been the object of a hunt which has extended from Manila to
Berlin, and from Italy to Chile, for fourhundred and fifty years. The patient
research of scholars, the scraps ofevidence found in books and archives, the
amazingly accurate hypothesesof bibliographers who have sifted the material so
painstakingly gatheredtogether, combine to make its history a bookish detective
story parexcellence.
5. Tibag

A dramatic re-enactment of St. Helena’s search for the Holy cross was usually
performed in May. 1The word tibag means to excavate. This ritual was brought here
by the Spaniards to remind the people about the serach of St, Helena for the cross
on which Jesus died.

6. Awit

Awit a heroic-chilvaric narrative poem. These have measures of twelve syllables

(dodecasyllabic) and slowly sung to the accompaniment of guitar or banduria. E.g.
Florante at Laura of Francisco Baltazar “Balagtas” that the poem tells the story of
love made triumphant against a sinister background of political intrigue and
corruption. It is a masterpiece of local versification upholding moral.

7. korido

These are long verse narratives on chivalric-heroic, religious, legendary and

folkloric themes. 'Koridos' or 'corridos,' as Philippine romances are generally
called, are heavily influenced by foreign literature. These have measures of eight
syllables (octosyllabic) and recited to a martial beat. E.g Ibong Adarna By Jose
dela Cruz