Spanish Colonial Philippine Literature
When the Spaniards came, there was an immediate shift on the focus of
literature. It became centered on the Christian faith, and the stories about
natural phenomena suddenly became all about the lives of saints and other
religious hymns. Slowly, Philippine literature started to emulate the
traditional Spanish ways of themes and forms in writing, including the
repetitive plots and obvious shadowy characters. Despite these changes,
Filipinos still found a way to make Spanish literature their own, as shown
through these common kinds:
Corrido is a legendary religious narrative form that usually details the
lives of saints or the history of a tradition.
Awit is a chivalric poem about a hero, usually about a saint. It is also
usually sung and used in religious processions.
Pasyon is a narrative poem about the life of Jesus Christ, beginning
from his birth and up to his death. This is usually sung during the
Lenten season. Many women were trained before to perform the
Pasyon. Nowadays, it is sung by seasoned performers in churches
nationwide.
Cenaculo is the dramatization of the passion of Christ. It highlights the
sufferings and death of Jesus Christ, and it is also done during the
Lenten season. A good example is the San Pedro Cutud Lenten Rites
in San Fernando, Pampanga, where fervent Catholics volunteer
themselves to be actually nailed to the cross to reenact the suffering of
Jesus Christ.
Moro-moro or Comedia de Capay Espada is a blood-and-thunder
melodrama depicting the conflict of Christians and Muslims. It is
usually about battles to the death and the proofs of faith.
Carillo is a play that uses shadows as its main spectacle. This is
created by animating figures made from cardboard, which are
projected onto a white screen.
Tibag is the dramatic reenactment of St. Helena’s search for the Holy
Cross. St. Helena is the mother of Constantine and is oftentimes
credited to have influenced her son to be the great Christian leader he
is known for today. She is also well-known to have traveled to Syria to
look for the relics of Jesus Christ’s cross, the one that was used in his
crucifixion. It is also widely believed that she found it in the same
country.
Duplo or Karagatan are native dramas that are connected to Catholic
mourning rituals and harvest celebrations.
Zarzuela is probably one of the most famous forms of entertainment
back in the Spanish era. Zarzuelas are musical comedies or
melodramas that deal with the elemental passions of human beings. A
zarzuela follows a certain plot, which shows either a satirical look at
society or a begrudged life.
These kinds of Spanish colonial literature show how welcoming your
Filipino ancestors were to the Catholic faith. Most of them were happy to
be baptized and immediately began to follow Catholicism’s traditions and
teachings. This faith and belief transcended up until now, because the
Philippines is the third largest Catholic nation in the world in terms of
population (after Brazil and Mexico). At the same time, these kinds of
literature also helped shape the literature that we have today, not only in
terms of faith, but also in terms of values system, societal norms, and
realizations about life.
Big Idea
The Spanish influence is evident not only in our literature but also in
our language, tradition, religion, food, music, dance, and many more
aspects. Because of the many years of Spanish colonization, the remnants of
the Spanish regime still run in our veins.