In Barangay Santa Cruz, Gapan City, the arraquio
is performed during the feast of Santa Elena
on May 13. Curiously, the patron saint enshrined
in the village chapel is garbed in a costume
similar to those worn by arraquio performers.
 

The arraquio takes place at the barangay plaza.
The original full-length presentation could last for three days
and two nights. Now, with many other entertainment activities lined up
for the fiesta, only the most important hightlights are shown -- 
the first at mid-morning, then the final one at mid-afternoon.
 

Before and after each performance, the pasayaw is held.
The stage is filled with the lead arraquio players and 
village mothers all carrying babies, dancing to fulfill a vow
after a cure from illness granted by Santa Elena, or to ensure
good health for their kids.
 

Then two village elders -- present guardians of the arraquio
tradition and performers themselves during their younger years --
engage in a mock swordfight to show off their skills.
 

The arraquio finally unfolds.
 

The thick arraquio script, patiently copied and
recopied down several generations, guides each
performance. A prompter sits at the foot of the stage,
dictating the lines to the actors who then repeat them.
 

Backstage, the peformers check their costumes
and receive final instructions from the director.
 

The arraquio peformers are mostly young lads and lasses
from the barangay, recruited by village elders.
The most coveted role, of course, is that of Santa Elena.
Their participation in the yearly presentation ends
when they get married. Then, suitable replacements are selected.
 

They are garbed in the peculiar 
eye-catching arraquio costumes...
 

...making up two groups that are easy to identify
because of their colors: the "Moors"...
 

... dressed in predominantly red costumes...
 

...and the "Christians" dressed mostly in blue.
Capes and crowns denote royalty.
 

The "Christian" soldiers' outfits are vaguely similar
to those of Spanish-era guardias-civiles.
 

Much time is spent by the two groups in similarly
choreographed marches around the stage...
 

... accompanied by the typical arraquio tunes
provided by live musicians.
 

Much anticipated and appreciated, especially by
the children, are the stylized skirmishes by the 
warring "Christians" and "Moors"...
 

....armed with wooden and tin swords...
 

... with moves seemingly adopted from the Filipino
form of self-defense, the arnis.
 

The audience may have dwindled through the years,
but the arraquio continues to be performed in Santa Cruz...
 

... by barangay folks driven by their intense devotion to Santa Elena.

Digital photos and text by Ramon R. Valmonte
May 2003