Being greatly interested in stories, one of the things I enjoyed learning about the most is the creatures told through stories from my country, the Philippines. From the giant moon-eating serpent-like dragon called the “bakunawa”, the love story that led to the formation of the Mayon volcano and even certain instances of how an “albularyo” (a Filipino term for witch doctor) has helped in healing certain and unexplainable ailments, there are so many that I can read about for hours. In this edition of The Young Post, I will share some of the ones that I grew up with.
‘May I pass?’
Whenever I go hiking with friends or enter a grassy, wooded area, they would never forget to remind me to say the Tagalog words “tabi–tabi po”, which is translated as “excuse me” or “may I pass” in English. Doing so allows the hiker to introduce themselves and politely ask for permission to go through a particular area from whoever or whatever may be dwelling in the surroundings, alluding to spirits, other beings and the paranormal.
An example would be that of the “Nuno sa punso” (“old man of the mound”), a dwarf-like nature spirit that lives in an anthill or termite mound. Said to have a bad temper, the trespasser may expect consequences such as unexplainable ailments and swelling of body parts, among others if any of the mounds are damaged or disturbed. “Tabi–tabi po” is the phrase that politely asks for permission to pass or let them know that they will be walking through or passing by, which I, after a few reminders and stories from friends and family, would now subconsciously say whenever it seems appropriate despite being in Macau.
Why does it still rain while the sun is out?
When it rains during clear skies, do you ever wonder what the reason behind that is? My grandmother offered an interpretation, telling me that it was due to: “may kinakasal na tikbalang” or “a tikbalang [a tall, humanoid horse creature] getting married”, with the odd weather being a sign of the event. Although I am a sceptic, this is something I would always remember whenever this happens.
Moreover, she would also tell me that if I ever found myself to be going round in circles in the woods, it could be the tikbalang’s doing as some legends note them as tricksters, toying with unsuspecting travellers as they are led astray or in a constant loop of going back to the same place that they initially started from. To put an end to this, the only thing one can do is to turn their shirt inside out. From memory, this is something that will always be at the back of my mind if ever I get lost.
There are countless stories that I could read and write about for hours, but these are among some of the ones that have always stuck with me. From these, I can infer that for some of the people I heard about these creatures and tales from is that there is a somewhat deep belief and relationship between them. One of my best and closest friends, who grew up in a rural part of the country, describes it best when talking about how strong beliefs and certain stories impacted him as a child, particularly the scarier ones, saying:
“The most frightening part about living in a rural area is that when night falls, the darkness makes us kids susceptible to finding out whether or not the legends we grew up with are true”.
