Illustration by the Cameron Polintan
Halloween party in the Philippines surpasses the fresh new Western impression away from pumpkin carvings and you can key-or-dealing with. Following the merrymaking towards the eve out of Oct 31st, Filipinos head to your cemetery to own Undas, a lifestyle one to requires honoring brand new lifeless compliment of cemetery visits, loved ones events, and you will eating. However-as well as in correct Filipino style-these types of family unit members reunions aren’t versus lighthearted mischief since big date of inactive sparks discussions regarding otherworldly horrors in the Luzon, Visayas, and you can Mindanao nations.
In which there clearly was a good amount of trees and simply the moon to guide you, you have to daring the potential for the new manananggal, an individual which have wings and a beneficial halved human anatomy a when it comes to aswang, a profile-progressing evil spirit; or the tikbalang, an one half-peoples, half-pony animal. This type of about three agencies are generally whispered regarding inside the Luzon, however, experiencing all of them is an additional tale.
Lars Salamante (2 Ab Try) from Lucban, Quezon shares that exposure of the tikbalang is frequently signified by fireflies going into the area as well as the smell of inactive ants acute the atmosphere. He mentions which he usually seen it in the youthfulness household whenever sleeping sexy Filipino mujeres inside the grandparents’ bed room under a definite cup window
At the same time, the newest kapre otherwise tree large purportedly stays in treetops, making merely highest falling smoking butts as a sign of its presence. Chio Reyno (dos Abdominal Are) out-of Antipolo says the idea of ghosts is more straightforward to take on, as he states which he appear to came across comfort. But not, accepting the way it is of your kapre’s facts took an encounter within the brand new woods to completely master.
“Nagtatago kami kasi hide and seek, tapos noong naka-upo na kami, will get nahulog na malaking yosi o smoke pero walang tao sa taas,” Reyno states in the good kapre encounter he once had which have a beneficial number of members of the family. “Nagkatinginan kami, tapos will get na namin.”
(We were hiding just like the we had been playing hide and seek, and when we sat down, a large tobacco cigarette otherwise cig dropped away from above however, there is actually not one person truth be told there. We simply needed to consider one another, and in addition we currently knew [it absolutely was an effective kapre].”
According to Visayan folklore, aswangs accept different forms according to the storyteller. Megan Maningo (2 Ab Is) away from Dumaguete notes that its sorts of the aswang is famous to eat unborn infants. “They are usually explained [to] enjoys a long language,” Maningo shows you. “They go [to] this new rooftop of the house and you may [the tongue] decreases into the stomach button of your own women that are pregnant, and just be sure to suck the infant out.” Janica Yu (dos Ab Is) away from Iloilo offers that there exists most other models of aswang called Maria Lobo and you may Teniente Gimo; one another need human versions and so are noted for eliminating and you may cooking person pieces.
A new understood types of the aswang is the tiktik, whose tale was applied to scare children commit domestic early. Maningo recalls, “For folks who listen to the brand new tiktik further out, it’s close by. If you pay attention to the fresh new tiktik sound nearer to you, it indicates it is far. You’re not meant to review.”
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The brand new amamayong is claimed is a beneficial nocturnal animal you to sucks the newest bloodstream of the subjects; it guides using its direct among their hind foot and you may provides the electricity regarding invisibility.
Engkantos including make their appearance for the Mindanao, but this region is even home to book horrors simply told in the southernmost a portion of the Philippines such Dipolog. Arianne Aleta (dos Ab Are) of Dipolog shares exactly how her grandma always tell the storyline out of a great nameless creature which will take the form of “a female who would come on wings and you will…simply take me away in the center of the night time basically don’t eradicate all the lice from my locks.” She admits to help you comprehending that such stories were merely informed so you’re able to generate discipline in her own as an infant.
Inspite of the differences in reputation, function and you can area, Philippine mythological tales show far in common. Dominating the fresh spooky mood out-of Undas and Halloween, such tales immortalize the latest training the elderly desire to impart to help you children: Be careful and you will attentive to your tips because we would perhaps not end up being the only pets doing.