Binukid

Even in the modern world we have today, it's funny how lots of belief and folklore are still able to survive amidst technology. It was only today that I realized how I'm surrounded with these existing folklore.

Earlier, I was busy preparing lunch when my dad asked me to go to the poolside. There, a ten year-old boy was drenched and rolling on the grass. When I asked what happened, his companions said that he drowned. It took a while before someone saw him and rescued him. He was told by his companions to lie face down on the ground for a few minutes then roll over. I told the boy to stand up and he was doing fine - no difficulty of breathing, no palor.

For days now, my baby cousin Jap has been crying incessantly. He keeps on wailing and screaming for apparently no reason at all. Months ago, Jap was usually calm and playful and his grandma used to take care of him. Now that his grandma moved to another province, Jap seemed to be very irritable. Jap's mom, my aunt, said that Lola Divine might have been remembering Jap too much, causing the kid to have daily bouts of wailing and crying.

These are only two of the things I encountered today. And I remember how The Boy almost often relates everything to folklore. He wouldn't let me trim my fingernails at night nor sweep the floor. A little noise on the roof would make his eyes grow wide with surprise, telling me it might be "something else".

Indeed, there are certain things that prevail despite the technological progress we have in the country. However, I think no other country is as superstitious as ours. Westerners rarely attribute instances to spooky stuff. In the end, for as long as there is no harm caused by these beliefs, then they remain to be a colorful strand of the Pinoy culture.