Magnificat: Mama Mary's Pilgrim Sites, collected and edited by Cecilia Brainard

My weekend read - Magnificat: Mama Mary's Pilgrim Sites, collected and edited by Cecilia Brainard (Anvil, 2012). 

Excerpt from Introduction:" In this anthology, the essays are not only about visits to Marian shrines but also about faith, and they compel us to examine our own beliefs. The visits are to places where Mary has appeared, and to churches that bear one of her many names, such as Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Sorrow, and Church of the Assumption. Along with the head notes, they inform us on the origin of the site. We also get glimpses of history, for instances, the French Revolution and the Galleon Trade that plied Manila, Manila, and Spain in the seventeenth century..."

The preparation for a Marian exhibit curated by @mataji_sharma and hosted by Ang Panublion Museum of Roxas City (to be launched on Sept 8, Mama Mary's birthday) led me to read this book. It contains 25 stories told by different individuals from the Philippines and around the world whose lives were touched by their faith and devotion to the Virgin Mother. These stories are interesting first hand accounts, which, upon reading, in many ways or otherwise, may compel one to ponder upon his or her faith and take a deeper realization that faith does wonder and miracles take many forms. I feel the heartfelt narratives and the stories speak for what the writers deeply feels about how Mama Mary has touched their lives for the better.

The Origin of Cholera: A Folktale from Panay Island (Folk Story #2)

Between the late 19th century and early 20th century, cholera ravaged the Philippine archipelago, the outbreak being part of the wider Asiatic cholera pandemic. This folk tale about the origin of cholera was collected and documented by American teachers  Berton L. Maxfield and W. H. Millington  in the spring of 1904, when they were stationed to the island of Panay. Mr. Maxfield was assigned to teach in what is now Iloilo City proper, and Mr. Millington at Mandurriao, now a district of Iloilo City, on the island of Panay in central Philippines. 

The Origin of Cholera: A Folktale from Panay Island  (Folk Story #2)

A Retelling by Christian George Acevedo

Sweat dropped from Tanag's forehead as he treads the country road amidst the sweltering heat of the midday sun. Drought has withered the field that he tilled; once abundant with yearly produce, the earth now cracked and had squeezed every bit of life out of it. The famished brigands, now hungrier than ever with this famine and plague, raided his village and took every food and livestock. Tanag was left with nothing.  The wells, too, are poisoned, and it seems every villager who drank from eat turned blue and perished in a night's time.

"This village is cursed!" he lamented. "God has forsaken us!" 

In no time, when every villager has gulped the water from the village well, one by one they fell ill. First they turned feverish and repeteadly excreted fluid. Then they vomitted incessantly until delirium took the better, until finally they gasped their last breath. Only Tanag, who refused to drink the water from the well, survived. With no more food to eat and with his tadyao empty of rainwater, he decided to abandon the village. 

Tanag walked for miles and miles. Weakened by thirst and hunger, dusk found him by a small brook with a sheltered bridge. The brook opens up to the sea. The refreshing view of the sunset left with a glimmer of hope. 

"I hope tomorrow i could find a job or a shelter," he prayed. 

He wanted to gather some fish to sup that night, but he was mortified at the sight of them all dead! He never dared drink the water, no matter how thirsty he was for fear that it was contaminated.

Exasperated, Tanag rested early and decided to sleep at the sheltered bridge. But it eventually occurred to him that the bandits might pass by and hurt him. So, he settled beneath the bridge where  a payaw ( a bamboo raft with nipa cover) was tied.  He thought it would be wise to get down there, where he could not so easily be seen. 

That night, the moon was full and casted a beam that left the brook glistening. Tanag was, nevertheless, left sleepless as mosquitoes attacked him incessantly. 

 In the wee hours, he heard heavy steps upon the floor of the bridge, and by the moonlight he could see a huge giant with a long club approaching. 

A little later another giant arrived, his steps heavier than the first. Tanag, filled with fear,  never dared move,. The silence of dawn made it easy for Tanag to hear their conversation. 

"Did you kill many people?" the first giant asked.

 "Yes, I dropped my poison on the food, and in a short time those who ate of it were struck by cholera and died. And how are you getting along yourself ?"  the second giant answered.

"At first I killed many people with my poison, but I guess they  they have found out an antidote for it,” the second giant was disappointed.

"What is that ?" 

"The root of the balingay tree" he answered. "They boiled in water and suddenly their stomach ache was gone, their loose bowel was cured, and their fever subsided! It is very powerful antidote that the poison has no use." the first giant replied. 

"That does it! These humans are very clever. But they will never know that there is a more powerful potion against our spell!" said the second giant. 

"What is it?" Asked the first. 

"The root of the alibutbut tree!" the second giant revealed. 

"That shrub with the small, white flowers?"

" Yes, that plant. They thought it's of no use, just an ornament in the backyard. But if they boil it in water and drink it, they would heal of the disease that we're spreading. And many more diseases! Luckily, no mortal know about this antidote, and so they will just keep dying while we drop poisons on the wells, and the rivers and the fields. And then one day, this entire island would be ours!"

Unknown to them, Tanag heard every thing that they muttered. As dawn neared,  the giants went to the shore, where many people were fishing with their nets. The giants flung their poison on the fish, and then disappeared from Tanag's sight. 

"No, it's the giants who were causing all these maladies and deaths!" he concluded. "I must  do something for these people. And for myself too!"

That very day, he searched the forest for the roots of the balingay and alibutbut trees. After gathering these herbals,  cooked them and bottled them.

But Tanag was clever. To convince people to drink his product, he went around announcing that he is a well-trained doctor who will protect every from the deadly disease. 

"No cholera would ever strike you if they drink this potion," he told people as he peddled his concoction.

 True enough, those afflicted by the malady who took  his medicine were cured of the disease. Many people flocked to Tanag and he earned so a lot of money that he became a wealthy man. 

What  became of the giants? With less and less men were dying from their spell, they became disappointed and retreated to the mountains, never ever stepping foot on the lowlands again.

©️ Christian George Acevedo

Art  by Cathlen Artuz

Reference: 

Visayan Folk-Tales (1906) is by Berton L. Maxfield and W. H. Millington.

Why the Sky is High (A Capiznon/Hiligaynon Folk Story)

I decided to start retelling and sharing Capiznon/Hiligaynon folktales. So here is the start. I hope you'll like it. 

There was a time when heaven and earth were so close they almost kissed cheek to cheek. In fact, man could even reach the edge of heaven by merely standing ang stretching out his arms upward.

The time came for man to plant rice. He found an expansive field and there he  sowed the grains that Bathala sent forth to him so he would never be hungry. The earth fertilized it, heaven showered rain. At times the sky would clear the clouds so that the sunbeam would awaken the seeds. Finally, life sprouted and the grains grew to become healthy rice plants. Long and slender bladed leaves finally gave way to the grains that danced with the whistle of the wind. At last the time came for man to harvest them.

"Mighty, Bathala, thank you for this blessing!" Exclaimed man. 

When the green fields turn gold and the grains grew heavy that they begin to bow, man spent the day gathering the grains.

Close to sundown, he had become tired and exhausted. His empty stomach grumbled, but he none to eat as of yet. He still had to pound  the grains!

"Goodness, heaven! You gave me  grain to eat, and yet after a day's toil, i am still deprived of the joy of harvest!" 

Angry and hungry,  furious Man poured the grains on the pestle, clasped his wooden mortar and started pounding the grains. In his rage he raised the pestle high enough that it knocked sky. Repeatedly he banged up and down that it annoyed the sky. 

She felt man's rage and in retaliation, she commanded the wind to blew forth and raise her higher and higher, higher than the clouds. 

When man was through pounding, he cooked the rice in an earthen pot over the flames. He was pleased with his fare and when he has had his fill, he felt better and decided to thank heaven for the blessing.

But to his surprise, when he raised his head to look up, the sky was no longer just above him, but was now far away in the firmament. 

"I sent rain and told the sun to awaken your grains because i want to feed you and nurture you," the sky blasted, then thunderous sound came forth with streaks of lightning.

"But what did you do? You were enraged with the bounty of earth and you blamed me! You never even remembered Bathala while you savour his blessing. So from now, I will stay here up above the clouds and closer to the sun and the moon and the stars!" 

Man wallowed in sorrow. He kneeled on earth and prayed for forgiveness, but the sky was long distant enough to hear his pleas.  While he showered the earth with rain to cultivate the earth, the sky no longer came down close enough to listen to man. When she saw from afar man's foolishness, she raged in anger and threw bolts of lighting to the ground.

And so, that is why, to this day, man could no longer reach for the sky.

Painting:

Ang Magbabayo (The Rice Pounder) by Vicente Manansala, 1979.

Cholera and the Devotion to San Roque

 At the turn of the 20th century, cholera ravaged not just the Philippines but also spread terror and death in the different parts of the world. With the advances of science and medicine barely reaching the peripheries of the archipelago, locals would cling to their own worldviews to explain how they understood things. With Roman Catholicism blending well with folklore, the locals believed that cholera was an act of God to punish the sinful and unbelieving.  Here is an excerpt of the article I wrote for Philippine Journal of Librarianship and Information Studies (volume 41, no.2, 2022).

“The people of Capiz attributed the cholera to the three  evil  spirits  which  poison  the  people  (Barza, 1927), while the Sulud people of Panay believed that cholera and other epidemics were caused by spirits called  ibabawnon (Jocano,  1966).  In  he  town  of Sibalom in Antique province, cholera was thought of as caused by black magic that engulfed the locals after a priest and his servant visited the community. Others alleged that people in the community vomited, endured loose bowel, and suddenly died after being touched by a man on the loose. Rumors also spread that powders were spread on the streets and anyone who stepped on it met their death right there and then. Fearful locals abandoned the pueblo, burned their houses, and fled to the mountains, further spreading the disease wherever they go (Worcester, 1909)

Part of obtaining remedy and salvation from the grip of cholera was believed to be the devotion to San Roque. The excerpt continues:

“As a way of alleviating fear, the residents painted the cross in front of their houses and doors, wore a wooden cross on their neck or kept one on the pocket  as  protection  when  living  their  home. The blessings of San Roque was called upon to deliver the natives  and  the  Spaniards  from  the  deathly  grip (Worcester, 1909). A novena for the saint would be read for nine days or longer starting at the 16th of every month followed by eight days’ indulgence by the cholera patient. These practices, however, met the dissatisfaction of health officials during the American period, who thought of these gatherings as disease super-spreaders (de Bevoise, 2002)”

To read the full copy: http://phjlis.org/index.php/phjlis/article/view/84/64

San Roque, Infectiologist of God

The devotion to Saint Roch (San Roque), especially in times of health outbreaks, is historically deeply rooted. Filipino folks now and then appeal to Saint Roch's intercession to spare them from harm. In the town of Cuartero, here in Capiz, during the COVID-19 lockdown, locals would have Saint Roch's image go around the town's poblacion while being conveyed by a "traysikad" with a recorded prayer amplified so that every house could listen and pray along. A century ago, locals from other Philippine towns would implore Saint Roch's intercession for protection against the cholera outbreak. 

In an article the scholarly journal Religion and Health,  researchers  Antonio Perciaccante, Alessia Coralli, Saudamini Deo and Philippe Charlier surmised that "The story of the life of Saint Roch provides useful lessons to combat the current pandemic. It is a reminder of the importance of social responsibility in difficult and trying times. It is commonly upheld that Saint Roch not only actively helped during the plague’s epidemic but taught us the importance of respecting measures aimed at counteracting an epidemic’s spread. When he discovered that he was sick, he accepted the rule of social distancing, retreating to a cave or hut to avoid contact with others. In this way, saint Roch could perhaps be given the title: 'Infectiologist of God.'" Read the full article here

Prayer to Saint Roch:

O Blessed St Roch, Patron of the sick, have pity on those who lie upon a bed of suffering.

Image of St Roch

Your power was so great when you were in this world, that by the sign of the Cross, many were healed of their diseases.

Now that you are in heaven, your power is no less. Offer to God our sighs and tears and obtain for us the physical and spiritual health we seek:

(Share your request…)

This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

St Roch: Pray for us, that we may be relieved from all diseases of body and soul. (Repeat 3 times)

Lord Jesus, may thy will be done.

The Pubic Hair and the Devil (A Folk Tale from Capiz)

Tuba Drinkers by Vicente Manansala (1954)  

Here is a folk tale, which, according to anthropologist E. Arsenio Manuel, was popular among the tuba drinkers of Capiz. This was relayed to him by his brother, Lucio, who, by the time the story was told to him, had been living in Capiz for almost two decades and “has acquired a very good command of the native language.  

Here is the story:

The devil was campaigning for followers when one day he met Juan. He promised all the comforts in this world Juan could wish for, besides everlasting happiness thereafter, if he would join his recruits. But Juan doubted the devil's powers and wanted to put them to a test.

So he asked him to perform three tasks upon the accomplishment of which he promised to be his slave forever.

True to his word the devil came on the third evening to confront Juan who was supposed to pose the third and last task for him to accomplish. The devil had already solved the first two problems. Now Juan was greatly worried, for he had not yet thought of a task and the devil was already there in front of him.

At last, something flashed in Juan's mind. He plucked one of his thick pubic hairs and showed it to the devil. It was curly, sure enough, and he asked the devil to straighten it out with three conditions attached: it must be straight as a needle, it must not break, and the task must be done before sunrise the following morning.

The devil thought it was the easiest task Juan ever had given him and he was overjoyed inwardly for he believed that he would solve the problem within one minute. Confident that he could do it easily, he took the pubic hair from Juan and began toying with it. Then he stretched it with his fingers. But since he had long nails, it slipped from his fingers every time he did this. Many minutes had already passed and he could not straighten it. The minutes grew into hours until the first crowing of the cocks could be heard for miles around.

Growing desperate, the devil thought of another trick. He tried to fasten a weight to one end while holding the other: from time to time he would unfasten the weight to check the result, but the pubic hair remained curly!

Now the devil became aware of the streaks of dawn lighting up the east and the cocks' crowing becoming more incessant. He had very little time left and he was becoming nervous.

As a last recourse he produced a flat iron at a snap of his fingers and pressed the curly hair beneath it, but, stubbornly unyielding, it always curled back. So when the sun rose over the eastern mountains the devil was still hard at work straightening the thick recalcitrant hair until he flung it away saying: “To hell with that damned pubic hair!”

Source:

E. Arsenio Manuel. Philippine Oral Traditions: Theory and Practice. Philippine Quarterly of Culture & Society  8:7-27(1980).

Five Women: A Collection of Poems by Jubail Andong

Capizeña artist and teacher Jubail Andong releases her debut book, "Five Women: A Collection of Poems". Here are the details of her book: 

Five Women, a collection that spans years of Jubail Andong's creative journey, is almost an autobiographical glimpse to her multiple inner lives that have evolved over the years, those five women of wandering, wrestling, and weaving words into poems. The undoubtedly gentle energy is present as the spirit of her lines and verses, and her voice that speaks in each poem is like spoken word, albeit quiet and private in the mind of the reader. Within that intimate space of reading is a kind of presence that listens to the stories of pain, discovery, authenticity and realizations, like reading a diary of someone from the past, witnessing how feelings and insights are finally set free. This collection debut is a beautiful testament to Jubail’s journey as a woman and a courageous creative. Jubail Andong, a proud Capizena farmer, entrepreneur, is a teacher, painter, musician, poet and creative by heart.

Jubail's in-person book launching will be held on Sept. 17, 2022 at Cinematheque Center in Iloilo City. 

Grab a copy of her book via Amazon .

Capiz, “An attractive town of neat appearance”, from the notes of Reverend Walter C. Clapp

The Presidencia of the town of Capiz. Inset: photo of Walter C. Clapp

In November 1902, Walter C. Clapp, the first Episcopal priest in the Philippines went to Panay Island, where he visited Iloilo and then Capiz  to do a "prospecting tour" on behalf of the Episcopal mission. On November 25th he left Iloilo for Capiz. His short stint in Capiz was later included in a report he presented to the Episcopal mission in the United States. Here are extracts of his notes about Capiz, providing a glimpse of how the place looks like at the turn of the 20th century.

Out-of-town: Uma Cafe in Dumarao, Capiz

My out-of-town trips have been farther and lesser in between since the onset of pandemic. There is a part of me that crave for adventures to far and away places, and I hope one day sooner, I could once again hit the road less traveled.

One weekend, thus far, at @umacafe.dumarao in the town of Dumarao, about an hour away from Roxas City. Situated atop a hill that sits by the high way, the cafe offers a breathtaking scenery of surrounding mountains amidst a Balinese feel offered by the design of its architecture. A nice choice of food is available at a reasonable price. Uma Cafe is very accessible and is an ideal escape for a relaxing day off.

Here are some photos. Enjoy!