Assistant Deities And Powers

Trese, as a story that features various mythological creatures from the Philippines, may give the impression that all these beings belong to only one group. That's not how it is. For one, Ibu and Talagbusao are not from the same pantheon.

This book (PDF) is an introduction to Philippine folk spirituality and religion.

Here's an excerpt relevant to the series.

Trese, As A Story That Features Various Mythological Creatures From The Philippines, May Give The Impression

[Edit 6/14/2021] Just checked. Yep, this is definitely one of Budjette Tan's references. From the Trese: Mass Murders (Visprint ed) afterword:

While doing research for Trese's next villain, I read about the Talagbusao, the god of war, in "The Soul Book" and he sounded like a formidable foe. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me that the Kambal needed to be more powerful than any aswang or enkanto.

Transcription:

Assistant Deities and Powers

Below the Lord of the Upper Sky is a host of anitos or diwatas, many of whom can do as they please the more distant they are from him. According to Barton, who studied the Ifugao spirit world (1946), these spirits are believed to be immortal, to change form at will, to become invisible, and to transport themselves quickly through space. There are other attributes associated with these powerful spirits. While they can diagnose and cure illness, they can afflict men with misfortune, ill-luck, disease. They can recover a soul if it has been carried off, but they can also coax away a person's soul. Though they prevent the dead from molesting the living, they too cause death. Indeed they can devour parts of the living human body. Men's minds they influence to suggest courses of conduct, such as payment of debt without losing face; passions they dampen so that men will not fight during a celebration; and stomachs they tie to dull the appetite for food and drink. Those who propitiate them know that these invisible presences can increase rice even after it has been stored in the granary, ward off trespassers, make the hunt safe, and bring victory in battle.

Powerful spirits roughly divide into three categories: ancestor spirits, nature spirits, guardian spirits.

Spirits of Ancestral Heroes

Some ancestors, particularly those who were outstanding in farming, hunting, warfare and the arts, acquired more and more powers in the memory of their descendants as time went on. They became fabulous beings. The more illustrious hero-spirits arc remembered in the great epics. Others arc remembered as culture heroes who taught their people new skills.

Some ancestral heroes (Cole 1916; de los Reyes 1909):

Lumabat - first Bagobo mortal to attain the Skyworld (Cole 1916).

Handiong - the hero of the Bikol epic who freed the land from the ravages of wild animals, brought Bikolanos rice, and planted the fruits.

Lumawig - taught the Bontok headhunting, agriculture, the art of building council houses and men's dwellings, and a code of ethics.

Bantugan - the charming, indestructible, much-wedded hero who could repulse any invasion. His cult probably began when the Maranaws were still animist.

Nature Spirits

Not all ancestral spirits become deified. Many remain nameless spirits residing in dark majestic trees and in the deep woods.

Nature Spirits reside in the natural environment, such as trees, rocks, crags, rivers and volcanoes. Humanlike, but much more powerful, these unseen beings are credited with feelings and sensibilities. Accordingly they may be offended and thus cause harm, or they may be propitiated and their friendship gained. Some spirits are represented as being sensitive to a fault as many Filipinos are when confronted with an unfamiliar or unpleasant situation. People do create spirits according to their likeness. On the other hand Frank Lynch, the anthropologist, says that the Filipino's care in handling interpersonal relations may in fact be the result rather than the cause of this belief in an environment filled with sensitive spirits (1970). In moving about, he takes care not to displease the many invisibles who could punish him.

Nature spirits can be either malevolent or beneficent. As in Philippine society as a whole, it all depends on how you deal with them. If you ignore them and hurt their dignity, they can make you sick; however, if you acknowledge them and ask permission to pass by and give them offerings on occasion, then they will reward you.

Some nature spirits:

The Lord of the Mound - spirit of an old man who lives in a termite mound. Throughout prehistoric Southeast Asia, the earth mound was a locus of power probably because of its phallic shape. "Tabi, tabi po baka kayo mabunggo" (Excuse me, please, lest I bump you) is the polite way to pass one of these inhabited hills. Though invisible, the nuno can be grazed and thus retaliate with a fever or skin rashes.

The Tree Dwellers - Spirits reportedly resided in trees. Thus the Mandayas, who are the largest ethnic group in southwestern Mindanao, believe that tagbanuwa and tagamaling are spirits who dwell in caves and balete trees. The belief persists to this day even among Christian Filipinos. The Ilokano pugot and the Tagalog kapre are gigantic, cigar-smoking black spirits who sit in deserted houses and up a balete or banyan tree with feet dangling to the ground. They can, however, assume any size they want including that of an infant. Engkantos also dwell in trees. But the term itself and the description of them as tall, fair-skinned and light-haired beings with high-bridged noses is post-hispanic. Engkantos, male or female, sometimes fall in love with mortals and lavish gifts on them (Ramos 1971).

The Babes in the Woods- probably the souls of foetuses or dead children. They arc called by the Ilokanos kibaan. The creature is a foot high, dwells in the fields, can be scalded with boiling water, and even die. The kibaan gift friends with gold, a cloak that confers invisibility and a large cup of coconut which is inexhaustible. To those who throw hot water at them, the kibaan scatter powder which produces a disagreeable affliction (de los Reyes 1909). Closely related is the Tagalog patianak which wails in the forest, like a baby, but inflicts harm. Common in pre-Christian times was the practice of exposing infirm deformed babies in the fields and forests (Alcina 1960). Their heart-wrenching wailing must have given rise to these beliefs.

The Bloodthirsty and Implacable

Among traditional Filipinos, the embodiment of evil is a being that is neither fully human nor fully animal. It stands upright like human beings and has a face; but it preys on human flesh and makes the living sick so that when they die there is carrion for food. Unlike the devil of the Judaeo-Christian-Moslem tradition, this being does not harm the soul by tempting it to sin. The death it causes is physical rather than spiritual. Other spirits can be negotiated with: offerings and kind words win their toleration if not help. It is not possible to do so with these implacable beings. Thus people fear them the most.

The busaw feared by the Bagobos of Davao, people the air, the mountains and the forest. They are limitless in number. Most malignant is the busaw called tigbanua. One eye gapes in the middle of the forehead; a hooked chin two spans long upturns to catch the drops of blood that drip from the mouth; and coarse black hair bristles on the body (Benedict 1916). It frequents graves, empty houses and solitary mountain trails. Indeed it may make an appearance at any place outside the safety of one's home.

Guardian Spirits

They are believed to preside over specific human activities such as birth, marriage, and death; over hunting, fishing, farming and fighting. Beneficent and powerful, guardian spirits generally rule from the sky; some, however, stay in their areas of responsibility on earth or in the underworld.

SOME GUARDIAN GODS

ON THE FARM

lkapati- Tagalog goddess of fertility. guardian anito of agriculture

Magbangal - Bukidnon planter god who became the constellation that appears to signal the start of the planting season

Damolag - an anito of the early Zambals who protects the fruiting rice from winds and typhoons

Lakan-bakod - Tagalog guardian god of the fruits of the earth who dwells m certam kinds of plants used as fences. Some anitos carry the title "Lakan" or Prince They could have been deified kinglets

Pamahandi - protector of carabaos and horses of the Bukidnon.

WHEN FISHING

Amansinaya - anito of fishermen of the ancient Tagalogs to whom they offer their first catch. Hence the term pa-sinaya ("for Sinaya") still used today. Following the theory of god-making, Amansinaya could be the soul of a maiden who was drowned and became an anito of the water.

Libtakan- god of sunrise. sunset and good weather of the Manobo.

Makabosog - a merciful diwata of the Bisayans who provides food for the hungry. (He was once a chief in the Araut River on the coast of Panay)

IN THE FORESTS

Amani kable - ancient Tagalog anito of hunters.

Makaboteng - Tinggian spirit guardian of deer and wild hogs.

WHEN REARING A FAMILY

Mingan - goddess of the early Pampangos mate of the god Suku (Consorts of the gods fall under the " guardian" category)

Katambay - guardian anito for individuals, a kind of inborn guardian angel of the Bicols.

Malimbung - a kind of Aphrodite of the Bagobos This goddess made man crave for sexual satisfaction

Tagbibi- diwata protector of children of the mountain tribes of Mindanao

WHILE AT WAR

Mandarangan and Darago - Bagobo god and goddess of war Mandarangan is believed to reside in the crater of Apo Volcano on a throne of fire and blood

Talagbusao - the uncontrollable Bukidnon god of war who takes the form of a warrior with big red eyes wearing a red garment. This deity can enter a mortal warnor's body and make him fight fiercely to avenge a wrong. But Talagbusao can also drive him to insanity by incessant demand for the blood of pigs, fowls and humans.

AT DEATH

Masiken - guardian of the underworld of the lgorots, whose followers have tails

lbu - queen of the Manobo underworld whose abode is down below at the pillars of the world.

This information came from the following sources: Jocano 1969; de los Reyes 1909; Garvan 1931; Garvan 1941; Cole 1922; Benedict 1916; Dadole 1989; Mallari-Wilson 1968

Demetrio, F. R., Cordero-Fernando, G. and Zialcita, F. N. (1991). The soul book. GCF Books.

12. [orv] joongdok

‘laser tag’

“Yoo Joonghyuk,” says Dokja, warily, “why did you bring me here?"

"Tactical retreat,” Joonghyuk replies. He’s doing that thing that’s in all the substanceless fluff romance novels, with his arm on the wall next to Dokja’s head and caging him in– not that Dokja reads those sorts of novels, of course, it’s obviously just osmosis– and his distressingly good-looking face is equally distressingly close to Dokja’s. This is not at all how Dokja had planned this day to go.

“We’re on opposite teams,” Dokja points out. Then they both pause while the outraged yell of probably-Kim-Namwoon echoes faintly from the other side of the field. “And I’m pretty sure that was your teammate. Whom you abandoned.”

“I have something more important to do.” Joonghyuk leans in and kisses the corner of his mouth before Dokja can formulate a response. “So? Planning to shoot me?”

The expression on Dokja’s face is probably not very attractive right now, stunned as he is. “I guess not,” he says, faintly.

Joonghyuk kisses him on the lips this time, tilting his head for an angle that lets him slide his tongue deep into Dokja’s mouth. Dokja can’t do much else other than wrap his hands around Joonghyuk’s unnecessarily thick biceps and kiss back, messy and eager.

When Joonghyuk finally leans back, they’re both flushed, hips pressed against each other still. “Are we still playing?” Dokja asks. Joonghyuk runs a hand down his side and he shivers.

“We are,” Joonghyuk informs him, and unceremoniously shoots him right in the chest.

Watching Yoo Joonghyuk saunter arrogantly away as his vest lights up and the stun sound plays in his ears, Dokja discovers, to his lasting shame, that he’s entirely capable of getting turned on by sheer bloody annoyance.

modern day filipino deities

bathala // god of creation, ruler of the pantheon

works as a carpenter. makes intricate furniture and statues out of wood, and sells them at a roadside shop. each figure he makes is completely unique. sometimes he breathes life into them, but just temporarily. misses the advent of humanity and wants to recreate the experience. really hands-on when it comes to building things.

mayari, tala and hanan // goddesses of the moon, stars and dawn

regulars at coffee shops and indie band concerts. all about poetry and music, but don’t have time for petty things like heartbreak. stay up all night into the wee hours of the morning. they crave the silence right before the world rearranges itself into a new symphony.

diyan masalanta // goddess of love and childbirth

the campus love doctor, takes care of everyone and their fragile hearts. is just at the age when you first fall in love. she may seem young, but her words carry weight and are universal. is always there for you, whether you’re pining or heartbroken. volunteers at a lying-in clinic for expectant mothers, ready to give a hand.

anitan tabu // goddess of wind and rain

is there one moment and gone the next. almost never inside, and never stationary. the sidewalks and alleyways are her home. the leaves and other debri pick up just a little when she walks by. smells like the air right before it drizzles.

apolaki // god of the sun and war

always glaring. only comes out when everyone else is inside because of the sweltering heat. collects old war relics and frequents the small, out-of-the-way museums in the province. visits the graves of soldiers who have no one to remember them. can repair your gun for a small fee. doesn’t seem to run out of war stories, be it from the spanish times to the japanese colonization.

dumakulem // god of the mountains

volunteers as a guide for mountain bikers. knows obscure paths like the back of his hands, and can never get lost. speaks to animals in hushed tones, telling them where to pass and get food. not really for much conversation with mortals.

anagolay // goddess of lost things

her pawn shop-slash-restaurant is full of odd artifacts, from old masks to antique jewelry. helps people with important things they’ve lost. gives students the missing hard drives, employees their car keys, and children their toys. keeps the things that don’t belong to anyone, and writes down their stories.

idiyanale // goddess of labor and good deeds

works as a public school teacher. recognizes hard work, even the one most difficult to see, and rewards it justly. all students become silent once she opens her mouth. her word is absolute but kind. underpaid employees mysteriously receive bonuses when she’s around, and the overpaid ones somehow lose their salary, just like that.

mapulon // god of the seasons

somehow manages to dress just right - not too warm, not to cold. his little shop is stocked with whatever you need, right when you need it. raincoats for when you go back to school, jackets for when it starts to get cold, swimwear when summer starts. the fruits he sells are always ripe, since he knows exactly which ones are in season. his very appearance and mood seems to change just as the climate does, but just slightly.

amanikable // god of the sea and storms

stays by the coast. has a wild beard, and looks like he hasn’t bathed in weeks. the smell of day-old saltwater clings to his body. mumbles incomprehensibly about natural disasters. the locals, especially the fishermen, usually steer clear of him, except when his whispers involve typhoons or tsunamis, in which case they head for higher ground.

lakapati // goddess of fertility and agriculture

the rice paddies are her domain during june and july, the planting season. seedlings sprout on the ground she walks on. none of the seeds the farmers plant seem to go to waste. sometimes works as a family consultant for couples who are struggling to have children.

dimangan // god of good harvest

shows his head in the fields only when harvest time comes. gives farmers who harvest by hand that extra needed energy. tends to stick around longer than lakapati does, because the harvest involves so much more than uprooting the crops - there’s also cleaning and storing and selling. makes sure farmers have just the right amount to sell to make money but not so much that the crops go to waste.

1K notes View Post

penguka

3 years ago

Reading all 19 days chapters in two days, I actually got to understand the plot a bit better. At first I didn’t understand why Old Xian was giving us less and less zhanyi content, I used to think it was because they were the characters she started the story with, so she needed more time to make us appreciate the other two boys (Mo Guan Shan and He Tian). Then I understood that there seemed to be less strips focused on Zhan Zheng Xi and Jian Yi only because I didn’t see much of a progress in their relationship, while tianshan were constantly growing.

Well, of course they were.

My otp in this manhua is zhanyi and I think that’s clear to everyone read my previous posts, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy tianshan’s dynamics. Still, the reason why I just absolutely adore zhanyi is that they alreayd have a solid bond. They communicate, they talk about their feelings, they are open with each other, they are comfortable with each other’s touch. Zhan Zheng Xi is often compared to Mo Guan Shan in terms of couples members, but he shows love and affection toward Jian Yi in almost every strip. He cuddles him, he doesn’t mind Jian Yi sleeping over him, he hugs him, he smiles often when they are together and he says things like “I want to get stronger so that I can protect you”, which is a proper declaration of love. Honestly it’s not like they need anything else to be an actual couple rather than just come in terms with their feelings. Jian Yi may seem fine with the fact that he’s gay but may I remember you the scene where he asked Zhan Zheng Xi if he was to be considered abnormal? Or all of the times he clearly showed to think that being gay was something shameful, something his friends and Xixi himself would have probably found weird and absurd. At the same time Zhan Zheng Xi is the one who told him that no, he was not abnormal, the one who hugged him when he was crying for the shame he felt after kissing him, the one who asked him straight (lol) if he liked him, if it was that kind of like. Zhan Zheng Xi seems fine with the idea of homosexuality, insofar as a fourteen year old Chinese guy can be. What he has not come in terms with are his own feelings. When he talks to Xiao Hui, he asks her “Must there be only like and dislike in human emotions?”. I’m not sure what he meant, but I personally think that he hasn’t understood what loving someone means and all the ways you can love a person: he loves his little sister and his parents, he loves his friends and he loves Jian Yi. All these relationships are different, but how can you say which one is romantic love? How is it different? Maybe because you want to have sex with that special someone? He may be asexual (he probably is? I don’t know). So what? When and why do his feelings toward Jian become different from the one he feels toward his family and friends?

So the point now is for them to understand their selves and each other completely. It’s a slow process, especially if we consider the one-year-gap when Jian Yi got kidnapped.

He Tian and Mo GuanShan are a different story. Of course Mo Guan Shan is not ready to admit to himself he’s attracted to guys (or at least to He Tian), but that is not the main problem at all. Their relationship didn’t start as a relationship, it started as a gross blackmailing in which the victim got at least payed for his service. I’m sorry to say this, but if I didn’t I would be disrespecting all the people who have been in a toxic and violent relationship and are now reading this. I know that He Tian cares for Mo Guan Shan and fell in love with him as the time passed, he even apologised for his attitude, but their dynamics are still far from heatlhy. They came to trust each other, Mo even managed to confide in him and finding his presence something reassuring and He Tian showed us he would do anything for him and to protect him. I also understand that for someone who grew up the way He Tian did it is not easy to become a saint all at once, just like that. Mo Guan Shan isn’t a saint either by the way. We can’t just ignore He Tian’s creepy background (besides, he still lives a pretty savage family situation). He changed if we consider how he used to behave in the earlier times but I still would not recommend a long-term romantic relationship with someone like that. At the same time I know that if sometimes he pushes way too much is also because he knows that Mo doesn’t always mean everything he says and does. He proved to care about him and to have a huge crush on him and even to feel attraction to him, but he still would deny everything at any time.

So of course the later strips are more focused on the two of them: they are the ones who need to grow up the most.

159 notes View Post

penguka

4 years ago

Gen was scared but not anymore

I looked back at all scenes with Gen in Tsukasa Empire and I noticed interesting thing. Gen would never stay on Tsukasa’s side because he NEVER felt comfortable there. He looked actually scared and always with his guard up. He never smiled in genuine way. He kept his distance. He wasn’t fine with Tsukasa’s plan. I actually think Gen wore bags with fake blood not since he found Ishigami Village but since he noticed how messed up Tsukasa is. He wore that to protect himself in Tsukasa Empire and it just happened to be more useful against Magma. I really feel bad for Gen. He looked miserable around Tsukasa only looking for chance to escape.

But then he joined Senku’s group in permanent way and his whole attitude changed. He started to smile in genuine way. He felt comfortable and that let him enjoy spending time with people. He started to mess around without fear of getting hurt by some meathead who wouldn’t understand the joke. Gen himself even said that Senku’s side is the safest place on the world. He is really happy now.

2K notes View Post

penguka

4 years ago

does it ever drive you crazy— just how fast the night changes?

REBLOG IF ITS OKAY TO TALK TO YOU.

Please.

340K notes View Post

penguka

3 years ago

I don't know if you can answer this one, but basically, I know what needs to happen in my story and I know where it's going but it's like I can't get it there or don't have the ideas to get it there, if that makes sense? For example, I'm writing a short story and for this particular scene, these two characters need going to kiss to get the story going, but the dialogue and scene feels so flat or it's like I have no ideas to get from point A to point B.

Trouble Getting from Point A to Point B

You may think you know what needs to happen in your story, and you may think you know where your story is going, but knowing random things that have to happen and a general ending aren't usually enough to make a story unfold. For some writers it is, but not for most of us.

There are some key things a story needs in order for you to fill in those moments...

1) Motivation and Goal - every story is about someone who wants something trying to get that thing, so the first thing you need to figure out about your story is what your character wants, why they want it, and the steps they need to take in order to get it.

2) Internal Conflict - Your character's history, experiences, and current situation all play a role in who they and what they need. What does your character want to change about themselves or their situation?

3) Antagonistic Force - When you're trying to reach a goal, there's almost always an antagonistic force creating obstacles you must overcome. If you're training to run a marathon, those obstacles are probably created by the limitations based on your current level of fitness. If you're trying to survive a gladiator-style fight, the antagonistic force is whoever/whatever put you in that situation and on a smaller scale, whoever/whatever you need to fight to survive.

4) Stakes - Stakes are the things that matter most to your character. These are the reasons your character is motivated in the first place, the reason they want to pursue their goal. Stakes are the best thing that could happen if your character succeeds, and the worst thing that could happen if they fail. What's the worst that can happen?

Sometimes, when you're trying to reach a goal, the stakes are raised. This could be a natural raising of the stakes, like a smoldering volcano showing sudden signs that it's about to blow and threaten the character's family in the village below. It could be an intentional raising of the stakes, like the villain kidnapping your character's significant other, forcing your character choose between slaying the villain's dragon that's terrorizing the village, or saving their loved one.

Your character's goal tells us where the story is going. Your character's motivation tells us why the character wants to get there. Their internal conflict tells us why they want what they want, and why they do the things they do. The antagonistic force tells us who or what they're up against and what obstacles they'll have to overcome on their way to reaching their goal. Stakes tell us how things can get increasingly worse/increasingly more tense.

When you know all of these things about your story, you start to understand the individual things that need to happen, like the moment when your character finds out their loved one was kidnapped, or the moment when the smoldering volcano starts to rumble. When you know the individual things that have to happen, you can build scenes around them. When you know what your characters want, why they want it, what internal conflict drives their choices, and what's standing in their way, you understand what your characters would need to talk about in each scene.

Have a look at the following posts for more help:

Guide: How to Turn Ideas into a Story Guide: Filling in the Story Between Known Events Guide: How to Outline a Plot Basic Story Structure How to Move a Story Forward

Good luck with your story! ♥

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

Visit my FAQ

See my Master List of Top Posts

Go to ko-fi.com/wqa to buy me coffee or see my commissions!

85 notes View Post

penguka

3 years ago

Tagalog Gods (Part 2/10)

✦ Diyan Masalanta – Goddess of love, childbirth, and…destruction?

“They had another idol called Dian masalanta, who was the patron of lovers and of generation.”

– Juan de Plasencia’s Relation of the Worship of the Tagalogs, Their Gods, and Their Burials and Superstition (1589)

Original article posted on my blog The Pinay Writer

So there was a question on the Anito: The Precolonial Beliefs, Polytheistic Beliefs, and Practices of the Philippines group I run on FB about the goddess Dayang Masalanta, aka Dian/Diyan Masalanta. The question was, “Does her name really mean “to be destroyed there”? That’s quite the ominous name for a goddess of lovers.”

At first glance, it does seem so. Why would the name of a goddess of love and childbirth be called “to be destroyed there? To be destroyed?” It does seem a bit odd. However, you have to dig deeper into the Tagalog psyche and beliefs to get a grasp of why this possibly is. Now, let me first be clear that this is my own opinion and there is no written record stating the meaning behind the name of this goddess, nor is there anything else mentioned about her besides the small reference in Juan de Plasencia’s Relation of the Worship of the Tagalogs, Their Gods, and Their Burials and Superstition (1589). Sadly this is the case and she isn’t mentioned anywhere else. It could be perhaps, from my guess, that she was a particular anito prayed to by a certain group of Tagalog, but she was not one well known to the entire Tagalog region compared to let’s say Lakapati who is very often mentioned in various historical sources. We will get more into this in a minute.

Now, Dian is Diyang, which means “lady”. Masalanta or Magsalanta is a Tagalog word that means “to be destroyed or devastated“. It comes from the root word, salanta, which in the Noceda and Sanlucar Vocabulario de la lengua Tagala (1754) and the San Buenaventura dictionary (1613) lists the meaning as poor, needy, crippled, and blind.

Generally, masalanta/magsalanta and nasalanta, which means “is destroyed/devastated“, is used when there is a calamity, such as a typhoon and flood. It can also be translated as victimized, damaged, and crippled and basically means someone who has misfortune or will have misfortune.

So, again, why would the goddess of love and childbirth be called Dayang Masalanta, or “Lady of destruction/devastation?”

The word salanta in the Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala by Noceda and Sanlucar the 1860 edition

Being the goddess of lovers and childbirth, it is quite possible that Dayang Masalanta was prayed to by couples who were not able to conceive a child. This was and still is, considered devastating and could be thought to be caused by angered anito. They may have prayed to her for a child, or a woman may have prayed to her for a safe delivery and a healthy baby. It can also be that she was prayed and honored to prevent bad weather such as a typhoon, along with being the goddess of love and childbirth.

Weather? Where does this come from you may ask? Besides the indication of her name, let’s take a look to the present at a ritual that is said to have survived despite colonization and the church. This ritual that I am talking about is the Obando Fertility Rite in Obando, Bulacan, which was celebrated just recently.

The Obando Fertility Rite is said to predate the arrival of the Spaniards. It is a 3 day festival from May 17-19 that is celebrated every year by hundreds of people and attended by couples coming from throughout the Philippines looking to be blessed with a child and for lovers to find love. It is believed that the ritual was once dedicated to the anito and was replaced by the saints. While the saints and Catholicism have taken over the ritual, there are elements of the older practices still there.

Newspaper clipping from Philippine Daily Inquirer on May 19, 2005

There are 3 saints prayed to and honored during this 3 day festival. May 17 is celebrated to San Pascual Baylon, the patron saint of good fortune. May 18 is dedicated to Santa Clara, the patron saint of the childless and of good weather. May 19 is in celebration of Our Lady of Salambao, the patron saint of farmers and fisherman for a good harvest. Together they are prayed to for fertility, whether it’s of a childless couple hoping for a child, a woman praying for a safe pregnancy, for those who are single to find a lover, and of fisherman and farmers wishing for an abundance of harvest of crops and fish.

One Saint in particular that is prayed to is Santa Clara, or Saint Clare of Assissi. She was a nun from Italy during the 13th century that established the Order of Poor Ladies, officially known as the Order of Saint Clare. In the Obando festival, she is the oldest patron saint and is considered the patron saint of those who are childless and want a child. To her they danced, sang, and offered eggs as symbols of fertility. This fertility dance is said to be the Kasilonawan, an old fertility dance among barren women. Kasilonawan is actually mentioned in the N&S dictionary (1754) as an ancient ceremony, however it doesn’t get into more detail.

The kasilonawan ritual mentioned in the Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala by Noceda and Sanlucar the 1754 edition as casilonawan in the old Spanish spelling where f is exchanged with s, and v, with w

Now many Pilipinos, especially soon to be wed couples, offer eggs to Santa Clara. They do this not only as offerings of fertility, but also to ask for good weather. It is said she is the the patron saint for good weather because of her name, Clara, which means “clear”. Clara is also the word referring to the white part of the egg. This is mentioned in the entries for the words liwanag and puti in both the SB and N&S dictionaries.

From the Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala by Noceda and Sanlucar the 1860 edition

“Niyong ako’y magmula sa Kastila y itlog ka pa man din sa tiyan nang ina mo.” = When I arrived from Spain, you were still an egg in your mother’s belly. – (SB 1613)

This idea of eggs representing a fetus and of fertility is why eggs are offered to Santa Clara as a symbolic gesture from women who are having a hard time conceiving in the hopes they will have a child. Together with the ritual dance and chants, they hope to overcome this and be blessed with pregnancy.

Let’s now get back to Dayang Masalanta. We know from Plasencia that she was the goddess of lovers and childbirth. From her name, we have Masalanta referring to destruction/devastation in terms of a natural calamity like a flood. Now, is it possible that one of the anito that the people of Obando once worshiped and prayed to in these fertility rites was none other than Dayang Masalanta? That due to the arrival of Catholicism, the shift from the anito to the saints made the locals refer Dayang Masalanta as Santa Clara?

Both represent childbirth and both have a connection with the weather. Santa Clara being prayed to for clear skies and good weather, while Dayang Masalanta in her name represents a word that foretells misfortune from bad weather and we know she was the goddess of lovers and childbirth. This association of good weather and blessing couples with a child with Santa Clara isn’t practiced anywhere else in the world. In fact the only associations with Santa Clara, aka St. Clare of Assissi, is that she is the patron saint of eye disease, goldsmiths, laundry, and television according to the Catholic Church. So why would the Tagalog associate her with praying for good weather, fertility, and a blessing of a child among childless couples? I explained that they associate the weather because of her name, Clara, but again eggs? What does eggs have to do with praying for good weather? Fertility yes, but I still don’t see the connection between eggs and good weather unless this was because of a something else in the old Tagalog mindset and belief.

There is also the prayer of finding a loving partner if you attend the Obando Fertility Festival. Maybe, just possibly, Dayang Masalanta was once prayed to for love, conception, fortune, and good weather and that she was once the focus of the Obando Fertility Rite among other anito? The other anito which I suspect are Linga, a phallic god, who is often mentioned today to be associated with the rites, and Lakan Pati a fertility deity who was once prayed to for a fertile harvest and also to provide for water for crops. They were also prayed to for an abundance of fish when fishing at sea, according to the Boxer Codex, which again goes along with the Obando Fertility rites of praying for fertility and an abundance harvest of crops and fish.

For me, this is quite the possibility. However, again I must clearly state and emphasize that there is no historical written evidence to connect Dayang Masalanta with the Obando Fertility Rites, Santa Clara, or even her being worshiped for clear, fair weather. One can only assume based on her name, what we know of her from Plasencia, and what we know today of the fertility rites in Obando.

What do you think? Do you think Santa Clara was once Dayang Masalanta? Why else do you think her name is Masalanta when she is the goddess of lovers and childbirth? Let me know, I would love to hear your thoughts.