Filipino Superstitions

I think most Asian countries have their own set of beliefs. Beliefs that are ranging from family values, funeral practices, Holiday celebrations, and just some mandatory household rules that must be followed by everyone else.

I barely see the western side of the world have their own superstitions just like the Asians do. If I do get to see or watch one on television, it must have been like following a certain rule for formality and not because something will happen if people disobey it. Like there are movies where when you go to this area or house, a ghost will hunt you or there's a movie where you stole a book and if you read some texts in there, something mysterious will happen. From my perspective, these are all in connection to the horror side of life.

Some of the superstitions that don't make sense but must be followed, I think, in every household in the Philippines are the following:

• You're not allowed to go straight home after you've been to a night vigil.

People who had been to a night vigil are not allowed to go home after they leave. It is one of the most strict rules that everyone must follow. It is believed that when you leave a night vigil, the soul of the dead is following you. To be able to not follow you until you go home, you must make that soul go somewhere.

• You can't bring home food that is from the night vigil.

I really have no idea why this is a thing. I think it has the same reason as above. The specific reason why this is followed is not even like that popular so most of the time, nobody knows why it should be followed. But again, when someone serves you food, you have to eat it there.

• You can't make promises to the dead if you won't do it.

This doesn't only apply during the night vigil, it applies as your life goes on. Just like the other day, my little cousin wants to visit the tomb of our grandfather but it didn't happen because of the pandemic rules. The following day, she got sick. And one of the traditions is to make the person either wear or put on like a blanket a t-shirt that is the color of red. Most of the time, it works so I'll probably let this pass by as something that should really be done.

• You're not allowed to wear the color red, in any form of clothing, during the night vigil.

Well, contrary to the last rule where I stated that to be able to get off the sickness, you are not allowed to wear red. I don't actually know the reason why this must be followed. I have seen a movie where it's like a family-comedy movie wherein the main character was forced to change clothes because he wore a dress that is sparkling red. There was no explanation involved though.

• You're not allowed to make your teardrops drop into the coffin of the dead.

• If wake-goers give the family of the dead an amount of money, the money must be divided for each member.

I think this is a basic rule. If not all the money was spent on something the dead must have like a coffin or pay the people who will help for the funeral or they decided to cremate the dead, every family member must have a share to the remaining amount.

• The "Bulong"

There is a Filipino movie that talks about this certain rule. The "Bulong" is not really a rule, it is just something that is done but should be done in the right way. "Bulong" is where a person requests something to the dead by whispering it. It's just the simple things like "Always be there by our side" or "Don't ever lead us to sickness or something bad."

• You're not allowed to use any form of a mirror during a night vigil.

A Filipino movie talks about this rule and it's not something that I usually hear when I go to a wake or night vigil. I was actually surprised when I heard about this one. However, I have never done it and I'm just lucky that I don't use mirrors most of the time.

There's probably more to this list that I didn't know. However, everyone must always know the things that should be done and should not be done. We can't always say "Sorry, I didn't know about that.", because it's just like government laws where one must always be responsible to know the rules to be able to have a good community.