Moros y cristianos

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Moros y Cristianos (Spanish:

The festivals represent the capture of the city by the Muslims and the subsequent Christian reconquering fight. The people who take part in the festival are usually enlisted in local associations called filaes (singular filà) or comparsas (companies that represent the Christian or Moor legions). Each side consists of various companies that carry out activities throughout the year, organizing spectacular parades during the days of the festival and spending a lot of gunpowder with firing salutes from the

Due to Spanish Empire expansion, the performing art has been adapted in other places in Europe, America, and Asia, as in the Philippines since the 17th century and is a popular street play throughout the country. Unlike the Spanish version, the Philippine version is dominated by indigenous Philippine cultures which are used in language, costumes, musics, and dances of the play. The main story of the art, however, has been faithfully retained.^[3] Similar celebrations in Zacatecas, México, are called Morisma.

Origin

Theatrical festivities with this setting are already documented even before the end of the Reconquista itself, in 1426 in Murcia and in 1463 in Jaén. The modern "comparsas" or companies of Moors and Christians have their origin in the old Soldadesca, the local militia that carried out military acts of display or exhibition of the troops if required to pay tribute to some authority. Traditionally they carried out these troop parades during the so-called "royal festivities" for the visit of the king, a royal anniversary, commemoration of a victory or birth of a prince. In certain towns, these acts of the militia were also carried out to honor the local patron figure on his holiday, which is why it survived as annual celebrations.

The historical element is added by taking advantage of these festivities for the representation and exhibition of Moors and Christians comedies, normally with a moralistic or religious didactic character. It is from the beginning of the 19th century when the first texts of Las Embajadas (the Embassies) appear, which require the need for two sides facing each other for the conquest of a castle.

Venues

The most well-known Moors and Christians festival are the

Spaniards took this tradition overseas. In the Philippines, fiestas often include a moro-moro play. The show begins with a parade of stars in colorful costumes: Christians wear blue costumes, while Moors wear fully ornamented red costumes. Mexico,^[7] Guatemala,^[8] Peru ^[9] and Colombia^[10] also have festivals featuring Moors and Christians reenactments (the Mexican term is morisma).

Music

A significant amount of incidental music has been composed and still is composed annually for these parades. It is known as música festera and comes from military band marches. There are currently three main genres: the classic and popular pasodobles, the melodious marchas moras (Moorish in style), and the forceful marchas cristianas. In Spain a marching band or concert band plays the repertoire for these parades, in the two latter types of marches the band's music is reinforced by timpani, concert bass drums and a gong.

Philippine Moro y Cristianos

In the Philippines, the performing art is officially called Moro y Cristianos Street Drama by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the cultural agency of the government. On July 5, 1637, Jesuit priest F. Hironimo Perez finished the first Moro y Cristianos play in the Philippines. The first drama was played in a church, and was presented to the governor-general for a victory play against Muslims in the south. Afterwards, the play became known in the common tongue as moro-moro, which is the common name of the street drama today. The street drama itself, however, did not draw from actual Christian-Muslim conflict in the Philippines. The main precursor of its popularity in the Philippines was the indigenous awit and corrido traditions in Philippine native cultures.

When performing, the representations for the Christians are in blue, while the representations for Muslims are in red or maroon. The street drama includes pasa dobles tune marches, rigodon in battles, courtships between a Moro prince and a Christian princess and vice versa, and a conclusion which usually depicts the Muslim converting into Christianity, the Muslim dying, or the appearance of the Virgin Mary or a saint as the intervention figure of the conflict. The komedya usually begins with a loa, followed by a parada. Usually, the main part of the story begins with a Muslim embahador delivering a challenge to an equally-boastful Christian. The street drama became popular in the rural areas due to the inputting of folk traditions in the play and the need of the people for leisure, especially after a hard day at labor. Overall, the Philippine moros y cristianos may last from one to several days, depending on the Philippine-written script being used.

In 2011, the performing art was cited by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts as one of the intangible cultural heritage of the Philippines under the performing arts category that the government may nominate in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.^[11]

See also

• Moors and Christians of Alcoy
• Museu Alcoià de la Festa

References

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Moros y Cristianos.

• Pictures of Moros y Cristianos in Muro de Alcoy 2006
• Unión Nacional de Entidades Festeras de Moros y Cristianos, Web page of the official organization, in Spanish.
• Moros y Cristianos Villajoyosa, Pictures of Moros y Cristianos festival in
  La Vila Joiosa
  .
• Alcoy Foto Pictures of Alcoy and La fiesta de moros y cristianos in Alcoy.
• Moros i Cristians of Alcoi.
• Moros y Cristianos Festival history and today
• MusicaFestera.com Music of Moros y Cristianos
• Moros y Cristianos of Elda.
• Moros y Cristianos of Villena.
• Junta Festera de Moros i Cristians del Campello, Web page of the official organization.
• Comparsa Saudites d'Ontinyent (valencian) (in Spanish and English)
• Tourist information Travel guide and info.