Let's jump for 2014

Lets jump like a frog for  a blissful 2014 ahead of us.It is  a favorite thing to do with children  to jump twelve times so they will get taller next year the higher you jump the taller you grow. 

batanes 2007

Filipinos have other beliefs and practices which are associated and believed to bring good luck, fortune, and prosperity in the New Year.

• The noise and the firecrackers is believed to drive the evil spirit away and make the New Year bountiful and blessed.
• You should put coins/money in your pocket so that next year will be prosperous.
• You should open all the windows, doors lights so that all the graces will come to your home as you welcome the New Year.
• Some believe that you have to wear polka dots shirts or dress because it symbolise money, and it must have a deep pocket and filled with money bills and coins and jingled it at the stroke of midnight for good luck .
• Some people pay off their debts in the hope that they will not be saddled with debt throughout the year.

The countdown of New year varies from family to family or from region to region. At the strike of 12:00 midnight, the noise becomes defeaning, churchbells rings , firecrackers rules the sky, kids gaping in awe as they see the different firecrackers, blooming in the sky. The banging and booming rise to a climax which includes clanging of old pots and pans, blowing jeep, car or tricyle horns, ambulance sirens for full one minute as the countdown to New Year.

 The loud noises and sounds of merrymaking are not only meant to celebrate the coming of the New Year but are also supposed to drive away bad spirits.

Around 12:15 am, the noise stops and the air is filled with human voice and the family starts to eat a thanksgiving feast called Media Noche, it is believed that we should put as much food on the table so that next year you will have food all year round. Twelve round fruits should be on the table as it is a sign of prosperity for the next twelve months. There is also a midnight mass celebration to welcome the New Year and to thank God for all His blessings.

 2014 is the Year of the Horse. The foundation of the Chinese Zodiac, also called Chinese Animal Astrology, was from the 12 "Earthly Branches" represented by the 12 animal symbols (The Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Boar), the five elements (metal, water, wood, fire, and earth) and the Yin-Yang theory.   

There are many myths and legends about how the 12 animals representing the 12 years in a lunar cycle came into being.  One of the most popular is that the Lord Buddha called all the animals to come to him before departing this earth.  Only 12 animals came, and as a reward he named a lunar year after each according to the order in which it arrived.  The Rat was the first to get there, crossing the final river on the back of the Ox and jumping down in front.  Following them were the Tiger, Rabbit (Hare), Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep (Goat, Ram), Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar (Pig).

Sadly speaking,   I guess the chinese have forgotten to include Frogs as part of the Chinese Zodiac .   Ironically, the Three legged Money Frog, also known as Chan Chu which means frog or toad, is an ancient and popular Chinese symbol for prosperity. It is  said to be the bearer of good fortune, which is why you always see them bringing two strings of coins tied behind their back and holding a lucky Ching Dynasty gold coin in their mouth. According to Feng Shui lore, Money Frogs are believed to drive away evil, protect wealth, and increase income.In ancient China, these mythical creatures are said to appear every full moon near homes that will receive good news of increased wealth or monetary gain. Feng Shui Masters believe that Money Frogs go out in the afternoon to collect money and return at night with lots of money sticking on their feet.

Even if the chinese bypassed  frogs in the chinese zodiac, at least the world's leading conservationists have together named 2008 "The Year of the Frog," in hopes of raising both awareness and funding needed to mitigate the amphibian extinction crisis. Globally, there are more than 4200 species of frogs, with new species being discovered every year Habitat loss from urbanization, disease, pesticides, poor land management practices, fire suppression, introduced predators and possibly issues associated with global climate change are just some of the causes that have individually or collectively played a part in the localized or range wide declines of many species of frogs.In addition to their pleasant calls, frogs also provide a free pest-control  service. Frogs eat billions of harmful insects annually, including mosquitoes and their larvae. In turn, they are a natural food item for many species of reptiles, fish, birds and mammals.

Frogs are one of the best leapers on the planet! Did you know that frogs can launch themselves over 20 times their own length using those big strong legs of theirs? That would be like if you could jump 100 feet! Frogs are powerful jumpers, and the ability to jump is a major factor in frogs' survival. A frog that can jump far and quickly is more likely to escape a predator.

Legs : Frogs do not use their front legs in jumping for anything more than balance. However, balance is an important part of being able to jump. A frog's front legs are more useful for propping it up when it sits.

Back Legs :A frog's back legs are what give it power and agility when it jumps. The large, strong muscles of a frog's back legs propel it into the air. 

Muscles : A frog needs to have strong, well-developed leg and back muscles in order to jump. The muscles tighten and bunch up like springs just before releasing tension, which causes the frog to spring into the air. 

Movement : Frogs jump in zigzag patterns for a couple of reasons. It is distracting and harder for a predator to catch a frog that is moving erratically, and it also helps the frog navigate the terrain it is moving over.

 

copenhagen 2011

 

netherlands 201

 

Banahaw, the Holy Mountain

(My Article originally published in TODAY newspaper in the late  1990s)

MOUNT BANAHAW, QUEZON -- Water is flowing again within Mount Banahaw, noted someone who intends to visit the "Holy Mountain" on Holy Week. Last year water was scarce. Skeptics have a scientific explanation for this: El Niño ravaged the country last year and Banahaw was not spared this environmental phenomenon. However, for the pilgrims and believers, this means that Banahaw is no longer disappointed -she no longer "hides her water." Banahaw's "disappointment" is said to stem from issues related to commer- cialization. Whenever business -minded persons fetched water from the springs by the gallons and sold them at ridiculous prices to the tourists, the water would disappear. When the government planned to build a superhighway that would run through the mountain, the water disappeared for months. The campaign of pilgrims and environmental groups did not prove futile: the project had to be changed and the water came back. Call it a crazy explanation, but the belief that they have regained the mountain's "trust"-as evidenced by the water flowing from the springs and waterfalls-has lifted the spirits of the people in the area.

Banahaw is their sacred mountain: She continuously manifests her protective powers through events that appear miraculous and certainly providential, even though these may be dismissed by outsiders as pure coincidence.

Banahaw protects her chosen ones: no outside threat can disturb the people's serene faith, their ineffable peace. Gratefully they dedicate their own sacrifices. With hymns and rituals, wearing ceremonial garb, they periodically sweep the templo, dredge the sacred pool, repair the footpaths for the pilgrims, trim the grass and the branches of the trees, and burn the refuse left in the sacred groves by the thoughtless tourists.

There are basically four categories of people who frequently climb Mount Banahaw. First, there are the religious, the sects who consider the mountain the site of the New Jerusalem. There are those who scale the slopes of Banahaw as part of their sacrifice in exchange for blessings or "miracles" that they are seeking, including the cure for those suffering from sickness. Other visitors are in search of anting-anting, psychic or paranormal experiences. Then there are mountaineers or outdoor groups wanting to breathe fresh air from one of Southern Luzon's largest forests.

Through the years, the number of religious sects in Mount Banahaw has grown to 168. Seventy-three of these are members of the Mount Banahaw Holy Confederation. As they believe that the mountain is the "New Jerusalem" the holy parts of the mountain are called puestos in Dolores and Sariaya and erehiya in Tayabas. The puestos normally represent the elements: earth, water, air and fire.

Superstitions abound for trekkers and pilgrims. One must request permission before starting the climb so as to ensure the guidance of the spirits. These spirits make their presence felt through strange lights or luminous objects, the eerie feeling that one is being watched along the trail, cold air enveloping one's body, and other manifestations. Some even see supernatural beings like dwarfs. The boisterous laughter of a group will earn them the ire of the spirits-they may find themselves drenched in rain while other groups in the vicinity remain completely dry. There are those who say that the crater of Banahaw is the perfect landing site for UFOs.
If Banahaw is known as the Holy Mountain, myth has it that the nearby mountain, Mount San Cristobal, is the "bad mountain." There, a spirit called Tumao is believed to haunt hikers and subject them to weird phenomena. 

I am vocal about my belief in the power of one of the holy mountains in the Philippines, that is, Mount Banahaw. Before I begun my review for my bar exams, I went there along my friends from Squakings to ask divine guidance. When I took the exam, I made sure that the ballpens that I will use were brought there. Even the jacket that I wore during the exam period was the very same jacket that I had when I hiked upto the peak last year.Then I went back last January, when it was a blue moon, to again ask for divine intervention. Hiking for almost three days is not an easy matter, but the fatigue and stress does not matter when you are asking a favor. Some would say that I am too superstitious but I always tell them that we have a different perspective about things: I really consider Banahaw as a powerful mountain, whose energy I need to strengthen my faith in passing the bar. Prayers before taking the exam will work in easing the tension inside the room while waiting for the bell to ring to signal the beginning of the exam. In my case, , I broke the tip of my Pilot ballpen because of too much tension during my Political law exam. It good that I have extra five more Pilot ballpens with me.

Scientists like Raymundo Punongbayan of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) have long been intrigued by the folk belief that if Banahaw erupts, water will gush from its crater. Mount Banahaw is one of the largest active volcanoes in the Philippines, its unique feature being an elliptical crater 758 meters high. The recorded date of the latest volcanic activity of Banahaw was in 1730 and 1743.

Punongbayan explained that in the event that Banahaw erupts, there will be pyroclastic flows toward the town of Sariaya and lava flows cascading toward the town of Dolores. Pyroclastic flow is a turbulent flowing mass of ejected fragmental volcanic materials mixed with hot gases and moving downslope at high speed. Pyroclastic flows may result from the collapse of tall eruption columns or from spillover of ejected materials from the erupting vents. Punongbayan compared lava flow and pyroclastic flows with the toothpaste. Squeeze it slowly and the toothpaste will flow down slowly, while pressing it immediately will cause the toothpaste to zoom up. The former resembles the lava flow, the latter the pyroclastic flows.

The Philippine archipelago has more than 200 volcanoes distributed in five volcanic belts. Banahaw is one of the 22 known active volcanoes in the country. A volcano signifies a vent, hill, or mountain from which molten rock or gaseous materials are ejected. For a volcano to be considered active, Punongbayan explained that it must have erupted in historical time. On the other hand, a volcano is considered dormant if there is no historical record of its last eruption. Punongbayan stressed that the best way to educate people is to give specific labels like "Banahaw volcano" instead of Mount Banahaw.

Declared a national park in 1921, Mounts Banahaw and San Cristobal cover an area of 11,133 hectares of moderate to steep terrain. The Quezon side is noted for its unique rock formation, mystical cave and medical springs. It has three towering peaks-Banahaw de Lucban, 1,875 meters above sea level; Mount Banahaw, 2,158 meters above sea level, and Mount San Cristobal, 1,470 meters above sea level.

One of the biggest forests in Southern Tagalog, the national park contains game animals such as wild pigs, deer, monkeys, and game birds such as hornbills, pigeons, jungle fowls, tailor birds, wag tails, orioles, brown doves, parakeets and coucals. Giant rats, wild cats and reptiles such as snakes, pythons and ground lizards are also seen in the area. It is home to tree species such as red lauan, tanguile and mayapis, while plant species like rattan, vines, grasses, club mosses, ferns and other aerial plants are abundant within the park. The park is traversed by eight rivers, namely, Olla, Manipis, Santa Cruz, Liliw, Dalitawan, Malinao, Bakong and Lazaan. It is locally known as vulcan de agua due to the abundance of water even during the dry season.

For pilgrims and mountaineers, the jump-off point is Santa Lucia toward Kinabuhayan town. The wide and well-trodden trail leads to Kristalino Falls, a 30-meter waterfall surrounded by vine-covered trees, ferns, palms and bamboos. Just one-and-a-half hours away is a second waterfall whose surrounding area is ideal for a campsite. One of the most difficult portions of the trail is a vertical wall leading to a very narrow ridge over a minute waterfall known as Salamin Bubog. This climaxes in a treacherous slippery stretch over huge boulders leading to a cavernous formation with a 30-meter-high entrance known as the Kuweba ng Diyos Ama. On the way to the summit are landmarks like Pinoy Lihim, huge moss-covered boulders marking two divergent paths, and rows of trees with twisted trunks almost hugging the ground on bended knees. These trees are commonly known as Niluhuran.

The first peak is Santong Durungawan, which overlooks a clear, blue open sky. The crater of the volcano is shaped like a winding canyon with walls soaring as high as 915 meters; its floor is between 27 and 46 meters wide. Thick forest carpets most of the interior but some portions exhibit marked scars of past avalanches. From Durungawan, the descending group will pass through Tatlong Tangke, which used to refer to a series of waterfalls, and again to a gully and a kaingin trail. Crossing over rocky trail will lead to the backyard of the town of Kinabuhayan. (Dennis Gorecho)

My Mexican Shiva and Filipino death beliefs/ superstitions

 I watched last night my third film for his year's  Pelicula Spanish Filmfest 2011 at Greenbelt Cinema, Morirse esta en Hebreo, or My Mexican Shiva.

My Mexican Shivah is about how the death of a man results in the celebration of his life. According to Jewish belief, from the moment a Jew is born, he or she is accompanied by two angels: an angel of light and an angel of darkness. With the passing Moishe (75), his family and friends gather in Mexico City to sit shivah, the 7-day Jewish mourning ritual. The spirit angels, Aleph and Bet, divine accountants, only visible to the camera, watch over the family and calculate which angel will accompany Moishe's soul to the afterlife. The odds are against Moishe from the beginning. Family dysfunction aside, Moishe's friends are all attending for their own motives. And to make matters worse, while performing his duties, a Chevreman, who is a member of the Sacred Funeral Society, is milking the family for all they're worth: charging for kosher food, slippers and various other shivah goods. Emotionally unstable and obsessed with staying young, Moishe's daughter Esther, falls apart; crying over a lost tooth and announcing that she is going to have plastic surgery to fix her entire body immediately after the shivah. Meanwhile, Moishe's son, Ricardo, is attempting to convince a doctor attending the shivah to give his girlfriend an abortion, while his wandering eye leads him to his dead father's lover, Julia Palafox, the notorious mistress for whom Moishe left his family many years earlier. Which angel will win the battle for Moishe's soul? If the shivah reveals anything, it's that Moishe's family and friends loved him with all his flaws and mystery- and most of all his spirit.

 Filipinos have our own version of the film My Mexican Shiva. In  the movie Crying Ladies,  a heartwarming comedy film starring Sharon Cuneta and Angel Aquino,i guess every Filipino could relate the some of the scenes especially during the wake when Eric Quizon, the grieving son, has to relay the story behind the death of his father over and over again to the visitors, from one seat to another as if he is a replay of the previous scene the only difference is the person he was talking to. In DEd na Si Lolo, more than the superstitions, it was absurdly amusing how the family rationalized the traditions and worked their way around them.Yes, there’s fun in funerals. Even in grief, Filipinos never lose our sense of humor. Laughter helps us deal with our loss.In one way, it is good since it can be a form of releasing one's sadness. After having two funerals in two consecutive years, i realized that the said movies presented the "funny" side of death in the family.

SUPERSTITIONS AND BELIEFS RELATED TO DEATH 

 The Filipino daily way of life is encompassed by countless sayings, proverbs, and beliefs. People tend to work around the superstitions even if they were told they may be committing a sin. Many Filipinos believe in superstitions to avoid any negative consequences. They may be true; they may be not. 

-  If a black butterfly lingers around a person, it means that one of his relatives has just died.

- A beautiful flower or candle scent smelled in a home after a death of a beloved, means there's a spirit of the dead visiting who wants the relatives to know he/she's around. Pray for his/her soul

- If one dreams that one of his teeth is being uprooted or pulled out, a member of his family will die.

-  During a wedding the one whose candle goes out first will be the first of the couple to die.

- When a group of three have their picture taken, the one in the middle will die first.

- If a cock crows in the afternoon, it means somebody will die.

- Pregnant women should not have their picture taken; otherwise, their babies will die.

- When a pregnant woman wears a black dress, her baby will die.

-  If a person's shadow appears to be without a head, that person will soon die.

- Cleaning the backyard when the sun has already set and it is already dark causes death.

- If two people from the same family get married within a year, one will die.

- A coffin should be built to fit the corpse; otherwise, a family member of the deceased will soon die.

- Tears must not fall on the dead or on the coffin; this will make the dead person’s journey to the next world a difficult one.
- During a wake, never see your visitors off at the door of the chapel or funeral parlor.
- Do not sweep the house until after the burial.
- After the funeral service, do not go home directly so that the spirit of the dead person will not follow you to your house.
- When a dog is howling, making a spooky cry, it means that death is coming to someone.
- When sending a rosary with the corpse; cut it into pieces. This is believed to hinder anymore tragedy in the family

- If the dead person is a mother/father to an infant or a little child, pick up the child and pass him or her over the coffin, so the spirit won't appear to the child.
- When you are dreaming and a dead person asks you to come along with him/her, DON'T go.
  If a  person  meets a black cat, he will die.

Death superstitions and beliefs

 TODAY is a great day to die! (Quote from the film "Flatliners")

I was contemplating on what blog to write today when i chanced upon the Facebook picture postings of a friend on tombstones in Thailand . Then i posted the following:

"Try to visit "deathclock.com." The screen is done in dark colors and interspersed with silhouette of a church and tombstones. In the center it provides an input box where, if you want, you can type in your birth date and your gender (a bare minimum of information for such a vital calculation). You then click the OK button to see "your personal date of death" ticking away in seconds. The website sells these clocks, its logo says "… friendly reminder that life is slipping away... second by second."

If I will submit the love story of my parents to “Maalaala Mo Kaya,” I will use the title “Kamatis.” The wedding line, “Till death do us part” will be replaced by “But death will not set us apart.” My mother, fondly called Mama Linda, died last year on May 17,  2002 due to pericarditis and lymphoma or cancer of the lymph nodes after almost a month of confinement at the Philippine Heart Center. A year and six months later, my father, Papa Ponching to many, died last year, November 16, 2003 a Sunday, due to pneumonia after being bedridden for almost eight months brought about by complications arising from an operation on his brain (hydrocephalus).

When i saw the movie Crying Ladies,  a heartwarming comedy film starring Sharon Cuneta and Angel Aquino,i guess every Filipino could relate the some of the scenes especially during the wake when Eric Quizon, the grieving son, has to relay the story behind the death of his father over and over again to the visitors, from one seat to another as if he is a replay of the previous scene the only difference is the person he was talking to. In DEd na Si Lolo, more than the superstitions, it was absurdly amusing how the family rationalized the traditions and worked their way around them.Yes, there’s fun in funerals. Even in grief, Filipinos never lose our sense of humor. Laughter helps us deal with our loss.In one way, it is good since it can be a form of releasing one's sadness. After having two funerals in two consecutive years, i realized that the said movies presented the "funny" side of death in the family.

I told some during the wake  that on  the day Papa died was watching TV during lunchtime , I said to myself “Papa kung di mo na kaya sige na sama ka na kay Mama.” During the times that I narrated to papa that I should have done more to keep Mama alive, Papa always told me that Mama did not want her heart to be opened. She was scheduled that day to undergo a major operation wherein the cover of her heart would be removed to prolong her life. Papa reassured me that I made the right choice not to continue with the revival of mama when she was in her death bed. I was asked by the doctors then if we still wanted to continue with the process of reviving her because she might be brain dead. Sabi nya “ Gusto mo bang makita nagdudusa mama mo?” then I said no. This came to my mind. If papa could only speak, babatukan nya ako at sasabihin masakit na sasama na ako kay mama.” The he died three hours later as if he just wanted me to give him the go-signal after being bed ridden for eight months .

SUPERSTITIONS AND BELIEFS RELATED TO DEATH 

 The Filipino daily way of life is encompassed by countless sayings, proverbs, and beliefs. People tend to work around the superstitions even if they were told they may be committing a sin. Many Filipinos believe in superstitions to avoid any negative consequences. They may be true; they may be not. 

-  If a black butterfly lingers around a person, it means that one of his relatives has just died.

- A beautiful flower or candle scent smelled in a home after a death of a beloved, means there's a spirit of the dead visiting who wants the relatives to know he/she's around. Pray for his/her soul

- If one dreams that one of his teeth is being uprooted or pulled out, a member of his family will die.

-  During a wedding the one whose candle goes out first will be the first of the couple to die.

- When a group of three have their picture taken, the one in the middle will die first.

- If a cock crows in the afternoon, it means somebody will die.

- Pregnant women should not have their picture taken; otherwise, their babies will die.

- When a pregnant woman wears a black dress, her baby will die.

-  If a person's shadow appears to be without a head, that person will soon die.

- Cleaning the backyard when the sun has already set and it is already dark causes death.

- If two people from the same family get married within a year, one will die.

- A coffin should be built to fit the corpse; otherwise, a family member of the deceased will soon die.

- Tears must not fall on the dead or on the coffin; this will make the dead person’s journey to the next world a difficult one.
- During a wake, never see your visitors off at the door of the chapel or funeral parlor.
- Do not sweep the house until after the burial.
- After the funeral service, do not go home directly so that the spirit of the dead person will not follow you to your house.
- When a dog is howling, making a spooky cry, it means that death is coming to someone.
- When sending a rosary with the corpse; cut it into pieces. This is believed to hinder anymore tragedy in the family

- If the dead person is a mother/father to an infant or a little child, pick up the child and pass him or her over the coffin, so the spirit won't appear to the child.
- When you are dreaming and a dead person asks you to come along with him/her, DON'T go.
  If a  person  meets a black cat, he will die.

Frogs and Weather

Frogs and Weather

Frogs have been associated with weather in a lot of ancient cultures. I guess this really makes a lot of sense if you consider that they tend to make a lot of noise before rain storms.

· Some Australian aborigines and Native American groups believed that frogs were the bringers of rain.

· In India, frogs were believed to personify thunder in the sky. Even the word for "frog" also meant "cloud" in Sanskrit!

In China, they see the "TOAD", not the "man" of the moon. The toad is also considered "one of the five poisons of yin." They say that eclipses happen when the "toad in the moon" tries to swallow the moon itself!

Frogs and Luck

Frogs and Luck

Sometimes, cultures associated frogs with good and bad fortune.

·    In Japan, frogs are the symbols of Good Luck. One myth I read dealt with the idea that bullfrogs are descended from a great ancestor who could suck all the mosquitoes out of a whole room in a single breath!

· Some myths are less favoring to frogs and toads. Some folklorists* have claimed that "If the first frog that you see in the spring is sitting on dry ground, it signifies that during the same year you will shed as many tears as the frog would require to swim away in." If, on the other hand, the first frog of spring jumps into the water, you’ll experience misfortune all year! However, if the springs’ first "hoptoad" come jumping in your direction, you will have many friends; if it jumps away from you, you will lose some.
(sounds to me like it’s best not to run into the first spring frog!)  

· Some less enlightened people associate frogs, and Toads in particular, as evil incarnations of demons or devils!