Welcome to the Philippines: Pamahiin
March 22, 2022
Bulls are awake and hope they won’t sleep. How is everyone? I’m still sleepy because last night was trauma day in the Emergency room. Lots of patients came in due to different vehicular accident because they were drunk. So the lesson is drunk and driving should never be combined if you don’t want to visit the hospital.
As we were eating our lunch, my mother-in-law told us about a superstition about not to take a bath on Good Friday because if you did you will turn into a stone. I laughed as hard as I heard that and told her that it was better to be stone than to be smelly. Lol. Kidding aside, there are a lot of superstitious beliefs here in the Philippines and some are still practice even though it wasn’t proven by science or debunked by science. So here is another series of Welcome to the Philippines to tell you of some of those superstitious beliefs. Lets go!
Supertitious belief #1 You must paint or splash some blood from pigs or chickens on every pillar of a newly erected building or establishments
They said that this was to serve the spirits living in an area so that they wouldn't harm any of the new occupant and in return the spirits would make the structure more durable. In the late 1960s to early 1970s, there was a myth, a lot of children had been lost and were never found. It was then associated with the rumor that there had been abducted and killed for their blood that may have been used in the erection of the San Juanico bridge
Supertitious belief #2 The three-step series
When creating a staircase from the bottom to the top most steps should not be divisible by 3 - Oro Plata Mata, which stands for gold, silver and death. However literally translated, Mata is also the Spanish word for kill therefore the total step should fall to gold or silver to bring wealth. There is no known purpose for this superstition as some have just pointed out that evil spirits like to do the eenie meenie miney mo for their victim. Of course you wouldn't want that would you?
Supertitious belief #3 Wearing red in wakes and funerals is prohibited
Colors have their own meanings. Bright colors especially red or a symbol of love and happiness. Almost all people around the world agree that red is a color of love and happiness so as a time for mourning this color simply isn't acceptable. So keep in mind, if you wear red to a wake or a funeral you may be a little bit controversial.
Superstitious belief #7 Bringing home food from a wake or a funeral is a bad thing
The food offered during wakes and funerals is served as a means of thanking the visitor. However, the visitor is not only you. There will be others coming so as a sign of consideration, only take what you can consume. It's considered quite sensitive. There are no limitations in this belief this is a good practice and deserves the continuity of the act.
Superstitious belief #6 Sleeping with wet hair causes blindness or insanity in the long run
One can assume that this belief started simply to keep people from taking a bath before bedtime. We can also assume that in the old days this is due to difficulty in accessing water to avoid wasting too much of it.
Superstitious belief #6 If you hit your head knock your chin so you won't become a loony
It used to be thought that if you hit your head your brains were pushed downward therefore you had to knock your chin upward to put them back up.
Superstitious belief #6 Say tabi tabi po when you pass by a mound or tiny hills or even peeing in the woods
Mounds or tiny hills are believed to be the homes of tiny people or dwarves. Passing by their territories is disrespectful and might cause them to curse you. Another version is that since you can't see them you might accidentally step on them. Saying the mantra “tabi po” warns them that you are coming toward their direction. This is the same when peeing or walking in the woods. You might accidentally pee or step on them and if this happens the offender would likely be punished.
Supertitious belief #7 Don't keep your money let it roll by buying something or by putting it in the bank
This one may be based in the belief that the more you give the more you receive. It may not be a good habit but it sure is fun.
Superstitious belief #8 When a pregnant woman craves a certain sweet fruit or touches a certain plant the tree will soon bear sour fruits and the plant craved or touched may wither and die.
Superstitious belief #9 Pregnant woman should only look at handsome or pretty faces and should only eat sweet and gritty fruits
It was once believed that whatever a pregnant woman craves or looks at, the baby will have characteristics similar to those things she was exposed to. There were a lot of rumors in the old days that some women gave birth to babies that look like a fish, a bat or even an octopus.
These are some of the superstitious beliefs in the Philippines and I think there are a lot more. It is not a bad thing to follow these beliefs as long as it won’t hurt you or doesn’t hurt anyone. So are you practicing some superstitious beliefs? You can leave a comment below if you knew one or two. And if you ever liked this Welcome to the Philippines series, might check my other articles under this series.
Welcome to the Philippines: Toxic Filipino Culture
Welcome to the Philippines: Positive Filipino Values
Welcome to the Philippines: Laro ng Lahi
Welcome to the Philippines: Panliligaw
Welcome to the Philippines: World of Kakanins
Welcome to the Philippines: Armas ng mga Ninuno
so many superstitious beliefs, and it has been a part of almost every pinoy families haha. although I am starting to feel ridiculousness with some of the superstitions. 😅