HOLY WEEK IN THE PHILS. - THE SINAKULO

The Sinakulo: Past and Present

Passion plays that flourish today in the urban and rural areas project this conflict. The still dominant, traditional sinakulo pictures Christ as a model of meekness and masochism, a lamb accepting death in obedience to authority. In contrast, the new sinakulo spotlights a Christ of reason and resolve, a lion who leads the downtrodden against all oppressors.

The traditional sinakulo is a Lenten play, usually in verse, which narrates a long sequence of episodes from the Old and the New Testaments, with special emphasis on the life, sufferings and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Certain conventions of marching, chanting and magic are usually followed.

Sinakulo scenes are presented on a proscenium-type stage of bamboo-and-wood or cement-and-steel; under light bulbs that cast an unyielding light instead of creating a mood and against painted cloth or paper backdrops, called telon. It takes at least eight nights - from Palm Sunday to Easter - to present the play.

In the cities, the sinakulo ispresented in all kinds of venues - on a traditional stage, on the streets, in a chapel, in a large room. Comedy, courtship, and special effects are popular elements in a sinakulo.

Because of the imperatives of urban life, most modern sinakulos run for only one or two hours. They can also be presented in all kinds of venues: on the traditional stage, on the streets, in a chapel, in a large room, or even in an open-air strike area.

If the traditional sinakulo drew life from the feudal, agricultural order, the modern passion play responds to a very definite need - the need to inform students, professionals, workers about the problems created by unresolved contradictions in Philippine society.

Source: http://www.filipinoheritage.com/religious/sinakulo.htm