While onboard the van from the PhilRice to the community center where lunch buffets awaited us, I learned my first facts about Araquio. Some school officials were with us, and one of them said that Araquio actually came from the name "Heraclio" which was the name of a bishop during the time of Constantine. At the center while having lunch I was wowed with the colorful costumes of performers fixing up themselves, then I found myself getting acquainted with Araquio step by step.
Araquio Features
Araquio features no painted bodies but vibrant attires of the Christians and Muslims--blue, black, yellow, white, and the prevailing color of red. To distinguish between the Christians and Muslims, one needs a keen eye on details. The designs and color combinations of the clothes especially for women are similar, the only distinction is the use of sash they called "banda" for the Christian women and of feathered headdress for the Muslim women. For male performers the Christians wore a combination of blue pants and white top or blue top in black pants, while Muslims wore pure red costumes highlighted by a feathered headdress like that of their women counterparts.
Before long, we found ourselves listening to the brass bands playing timeless songs, which include "Don’t Cry for Me Argentina." It was already four in the afternoon and we were seated at the gym of Nueva Ecija National High School, waiting for the propsmen to finish putting up the stage backdrop that was first sited at the plaza. Hurrah, it was the start of Araquio!
The Story
A weeklong festival recreating the expansion of Christianity and the war between Christians and Muslims, Araquio dates back from the Spanish colonial period. The festival features vivacious beats of brass bands, spirited choreography and moving voices embraced with a daunting literary piece. Written in ancient Tagalog, the script tells about the feud of the Muslims and Christians that started over territories. It shows how Christians used the power of the cross symbolizing their faith in defeating the Muslims, who later retaliated by way of stealing the cross from them. Many battles preceded the retrieval of the cross, which in the end led to the Christening of the Muslims.
The Players
Normally, there are 16 performers in each Araquio group, nine of them are Christians led by the Reyna (Queen) Elena and Haring (King)Constantine. The Reyna Elena has two loyal servants in the person of Laida and Blanca. The rest are their soldiers with the names of Alberto, Arsenio, Rosauro, Fernando and Leonato. The Muslim group, on the other hand, is composed of seven people, led by Ordalisa or Erlisa and the Emperor. They have Emir, Dublar, Marmolin, Engras and Sagmar as soldiers. These performers sing, act and dance while the band plays. The choice of songs and choreography depends on the master/director of the group, but the script remained faithfully followed since the tradition started. Another standard thing in this festival is the requirement of stage ---whether made of concrete or indigenous materials, as long as the performers would be elevated.
