:: A Filipino Tale ::
07:27
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We Filipinos, in my (not so humble) opinion, are a superstitious people. Old wives' tales seem to carry as much, if not more weight than articles found in the local papers. I'm making a generalization, of course, but forgive me - it's too early in the morning for me to get my creative juices flowing. I needed an introduction, and that was the best I could think of. Now...
Myths, legends, superstitions, and the like are as much a part of our daily lives as anything else. Most of us have heard, at one time or another, that going to bed with wet hair would lead us to go blind, go crazy, or otherwise suffer some horrible fate. I'm sure we've also been told never to make a stupid face, lest a gust of wind come and freeze that expression in place. Last but not least, we're probably all familiar with
paglilihi, that pregnant woman's inexplicable craving for green mango, chicken, fish, or any other item that later determines her child's characteristics.
Just recently, I read a short story by
Nick Joaquin that depicts one such myth. In the story, it is said that the first night of May "was a night of divination, and night of lovers, and those who cared might peer into a mirror and would there behold the face of whoever it was they were fated to marry." To do so, one need only to stand alone in a dark room armed only with a candle, stand in front of a mirror, then close one's eyes and utter a spell. Should everything go well, the face of one's future spouse would appear above one's left shoulder. Should things go wrong, the devil would appear.
I shared that because I want others to share other tales found in our culture. If you have a story that explains the origins of the
manananggal or
tiyanak, please share it. If you know of any other folk's tales not mentioned here, say so. Heck, if you have an explanation for the Filipino's desire to cover everything in plastic, share that too - the existence of plastic covered sofa sets and beds could be worth writing stories about.
What story do you want to tell?
