Borea
Borea performances of the early 20th century included a day-time procession in which participants donned masks and wore sack-cloth robes.
Borea as a theatre style reached Penang in the mid-19th century. It is believed to derive from Shia Islamic passion plays performed during the Muslim month of Muharram to commemorate the martyrs of Kerbala. Originally incorporating chanting, processions and self-flagellations, these highly dramatic passion plays were adapted to create a form of secular theatre, choric in presentation with a lead singer.
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