The Senakulo is a dramatization of the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that is usually held every Holy Day or during Lent. The tradition of presenting the Passion of Jesus Christ is estimated to have started in the 17th to early 18th century with the publication in 1704 of a Tagalog Pasyon written by Gaspar Aquino de Belen that begins with the last supper. Wenceslao E. Retana called it “pasion representada.” As it continued to grow in the 19th century, the basis of the play was Pasyong Genesis or the "Casaysayan ng Pasion ni Jesukristog Panhinong Natin na Sucat Ipagalab ng Puso ng Sinomang Baba" which was printed in 1804. In this letter the two traditions of Holy Week - the Pabasa and Senakulo - came into being. One of the groups known to have initiated popular performances in Manila's neighboring provinces, such as Bulacan and Rizal, in the 19th and 20th centuries was the Cenaculistan Pasay. They perform it in cockpits and plazas where people fill up and take it away. Not long after, productions began in the towns where "Pasay" was performed. One of the results of this was the published senacle of Malolos, Bulacan in the 70s. The Senakulo ng Malolos usually spans seven or eight nights, from Palm Sunday to Easter, with three or four hours of performances each day. The text or script is said to be originally derived from the Spanish tradition. This was done by farmers who did not want to abandon the traditional for fear of heresy and hell. The work of Hermenigildo de Guzman of Tikay, Malolos also became well known, the play is derived from the Passion of Genesis, which begins with the creation of the world and ends with the crowning of the Virgin Mary. Additional scenes are adapted from novels and texts such as Pasyong Candaba, El Martir del Golgota, The Sagrada Familia, and Liwayway. Over time, from simple plays in the fields, cockpits, and plazas, the Senakulo ng Malolos evolved into exquisite stage productions with bastidores and telons painted with scenes. Despite the trials of the performance, this tradition remains alive in the province of Bulacan. Because, according to Nick Tiongson, the Senacle is primarily a prayer that also happens to be a play. It has become a vow and method of those who perform it to have a personal relationship with God. Apart from being a performance for society and catechism, this traditional art should also be understood as a personal task. Written by: Mr. Paulo Miguel Garcia, A.B. History (Cand.), DCSC Research Team REFERENCES: Tiongson, Nicanor G. History and Aesthetics of Sinakulo and Other Religious Plays in Malolos. Quezon City: Atenedo de Manila University Press, 1975. ________. Sinakulo: Volume III of Philippine Theatre: History and Anthology. Quezon City: University of the Philippine Press, 1999. Zulueta, Joselito B. “The Sinakulo of Bangkal, Makati: An Attempt at a Social History of a 'Global Village'. In Manila: Studies in Urban Culture and Traditions, edited by Jose Victor Torres and Bernardita Reyes Churchill, 87-92. Quezon City: Manila Studies Association, Inc., 2007.
