Witchcraft and Religion
Article by Lingzhibelle Jasmin
The people also believed in witchcraft. The witch is thought to appear as an old woman who sold her soul to Satan in exchange for the power to do all sorts of harmful things. When one happens to be an enemy of a witch, it would make vengeance by making you sick. People who become crazy are thought to be inflicted by the harmful power of the witch. I know of a woman in our town who because of the witch’s power became crazy. Believing that the witch had been in communication with her, the husband beat her body with hot iron thinking that the witch would be the one to be hurt and not his wife. The result was that his wife suffers the pain.
In connection with religion, the people believed that the burning palm leaves which are blessed during the Holy Week will prevent the disastrous effect of the thunder and lightning, or the lightning and thunder would stop.
It is a common practice among a few people, especially those devoted to religion to hurt their bodies on Good Friday. This is done by the people who, during their sickness, promised to hurt their bodies (penitencia) if they get well. I have seen this practice in our town and saw that they uncover their bodies and their backs are slightly dotted with sharp metals just enough to make them bleed. Once in a while they lie down on the ground to be whipped by their companions until they arrived to a river where they took baths. This practice is especially done in the Barrio of Raiñgin to the river of Kapitangan.
While I was a small child, I was asked by my father to jump up as high as possible on the Resurrection of Christ so that I would grow up strongly and easily. If one is short and unable to jump up higher, he is held in the chin to be raised higher.
Some people believed in going to houses and chanting the song of dead in the evening of All Saints Day. They are thought to represent the souls of dead so that they give money in return for their song.
When I was just a small child, I had not seen people using sleepers and umbrellas nor riding in carromatas on Good Friday. This was believed to be bad, however, it is not very commonly practiced now.
When an owl happens to alight on the window pane of a house, some disaster may be met by the people of that house.
It is a common practice that a feast is held on the 3rd and 9th day after the death of a member of the family because it is believed that the acule of the dead man comes back on the 3rd and 9th night to the house where he dies.
Most people believed that the causes of sickness is not due to disease germs but only the heat and wind. They do not believe in germs because they could not see them.
The assuang are believed to appear in the form of pigs which stay under the house of the pregnant woman at night waiting the chance to get hold of the baby yet unborn.
When the full moon, while rising appears to be in an inclined position, the belief is that it will rain the next day.
June 24 is Saint John’s Day, and it is commonly believed that raining on that day means a good crop for the year. Their practice is the throwing of water to each other believing that they are imitating the baptism of Christ by. St. John.
Some beliefs in our locality which has little or no connection with natural phenomena. These are some of the brief commemoration: When a black-butterfly is soon flying over you, especially when you are in bed, it is a sign of the death of a member of your family. Dogs barking at night signifies the approach of some disaster. When fire plays, some visitors will come. Do not go down stairs while the members of your family are eating of if you want to, turn their dishes around before going down. When you dream of some body, turn the pillow or turn your position and she will dream of you also. If a large coffin is used, another member of the family will also soon died. If the dog grunts at night, somebody will die. If a rooster crows at night, it signifies that the owner would win in gambling. If a woman sings while cooking, she will be married to a widower. There is a common belief that whatever is done on the first day of the year will be done throughout. Thirteen person sitting on a table would mean the death of one of them.
When you borrow money on December 28, that borrowed money is never returned because they termed that as Hilos Inocentos.