Filipino Folk Beliefs

INTRODUCTION

Folk beliefs, otherwise known as "superstitious beliefs", form part of a people's value system and culture. They basically reflect the customs, traditions, and mores of a group, which may be based on religious beliefs, opinions, old or popular practices. They also tell of how a people view the unknown and the means to appease the gods that control the future.

Filipinos have a number of folk beliefs about life, family, luck, wealth, etc.. The Tagalog terms for folk beliefs and superstitions are: paniniwala (beliefs), kasabihan ng mga matatanda (what the old people say), and pamahiin (superstitions). The collection of folk beliefs on this page are written in Tagalog/Filipino, with appropriate translations in English. The primary source of this collection is Neni Sta. Romana-Cruz's Don't Take A Bath on a Friday: Philippine Superstitions and Folk Beliefs. Manila: Tahanan Books, 1996.

***Click on the archive contents on the right to access the collection of Filipino folk beliefs. ***

Other Folk Beliefs

Other Folk Beliefs

SUNDAY MORNING
by Fernando Amorsolo

1. Sleeping and Dreaming

• Avoid recurring dreams by turning your pillow upside down.

• Always sleep facing east, or you will not face a bright future.

• If a person sleeps on her book, she will have a good memory.

• After studying at night, place the book you've been studying under your pillow, and you will retain what you have read.

2. When Night Falls

• Cry at night and you will be happy tomorrow.

• Don't comb your hair at night, lest you become bald, orphaned, or widowed. But if you must comb at night, bite the tip of the comb first.

• When walking with friends, especially at night, always travel as a group of even number. If it is an odd number, one of you will be taken away by the spirits to make the number even.

• Washed clothes should be taken from the clothesline at night, lest they be stolen and worn by dwarfs.

3. In Some Days

• Whatever you do or feel on New Year's Day will continue the rest of the year.

• Better to find money on New Year's Day than spend it.

• Jumping on Easter morning hastens growth and makes a person taller.

• When the bells ring on Easter Sunday, shout at the top of your lungs and you will have a long life.

4. Dos and Don'ts

• Don't gamble if you've just had a haircut, for you are certain to lose.

• Never give a pair of shoes away for free. Either throw up the shoes up int he air and let the prospective owner pick them up, or let him or her buy it for five centavos.

• Don't seat on books, or you will be dumb.

• Before throwing hot water onto the ground, give a warning to the elves. When harmed, they may retaliate by making you sick.

• Before stepping on an anthill, first ask to be excused. Otherwise, a spirit may play tricks on you.

• Carry a piece of ginger on your body when you visit a place not frequented by others, so that the evil spirits of that place will not harm you.

• If you walk in the forest, rub your feet with garlic to prevent animals from harming you.

• Do not harm or cut down a balete tree, because it is a dwelling place of fairies and enchancted spirits.

• Don't whistle or sing in the forest, lest the enchanted spirits imitate you and cause to fall ill.

• If someone sneezes while you are about to leave your house, postpone your trip or something bad will happen to you.

• To overcome stage fright when speaking in public, tuck one-centavo coin inside the shoes you are wearing.

• Don't cut your nails at night, or on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Fridays.

• If you happen to get lost, invert your clothes and you will find your way.

• To prevent rain, take ashes from the kitchen and spread them over your yard.

• Don't go out on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, for evil fairies are roaming around to hurt people.

5. When Not to Take a Bath or Shower

• Don't take a bath on a Friday.

• Don't take a bath in the afternoon.

• Don't take a bath in the evening.

• Don't take a bath on the first Friday of the month.

• Don't take a bath on a Good Friday.

• Don't take a bath on New Year's Day.

• Don't take a bath on the feast day of St. Lazarus.

• Don't take a bath on the thirteenth day of the month.

• Don't take a bath when you are hungry.

• Don't take a bath after eating.

• Don't take a bath before gambling.

• Don't take a bath after going to church.

• Don't take a bath when there is a rainbow.

• Don't take a bath during a full moon.

Bad luck, Good Luck

Bad luck, Good Luck

MANGINGISDA
by Carlos V. Francisco

1. Omens

• A black cat crossing your path is a bad omen. A black cat is a demon in disguise.

• Encountering a yellow butterfly will bring you good luck.

• If a brown butterfly enters your house, you will lose money.

• If you are awakened by chirping birds at dawn, luck awaits you.

• Dreaming of fish, trees, or snakes means good fortune, money, or happiness.

2. Dos and Don'ts

• Lying down with your feet facing the door will bring you an early death.

• Adorning your dress with pearls means you will shed many tears.

• Do not mend your clothes while wearing them, or harm will befall you.

• Stepping on a pillow brings misfortune.

• A person who is headed somewhere should not proceed with her journey if she trips on something after leaving the house. Otherwise, something terrible will happen to her.

• If you sit on your bag while travelling, you will not reach your destination.

• A person who breaks mirrors faces seven years of bad luck.

• At the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, eat twelve grapes which represent the twelve months of the year. This will ensure money and good luck throughout the year.

• Whistling at night invites evil spirits.

• Wearing a diamond protects the bearer from evil-minded people.

Signs and Premonitions

Signs and Premonitions

MARIANG MAKILING
by Hugo C. Yonzon, 1974

1. Body Marks

• A person with a mole on his foot is a born adventurer.

• A person with a mole on his face will be successful in business.

• A person with a mole in the middle of her nose will be rich but unhappy.

• A person with a mole close to his eye is attractive to the opposite sex.

• (A mole on the hand signifies wealth or thievery.

• A mole on one's back is a sign of laziness.

2. By the Shape of His/Her Body Parts

• A person with big ears will have a long life.

• Women with wide hips will bear many children.

• People with naturally curly hair are moody or ill-tempered.

• People with eyebrows that almost meet easily get jealous.

• Men with hairy chests are playboys.

• A person with lines running from the palm of his hand to his fingers is successful in business.

• People whose teeth are spaced far apart are liars.

3. Other Omens

• If a person bites his tongue, it means someone is thinking of him or talking about him.

• If a person forgets what he wants to say, it means that the devil snatched his words.

• A woman who combs her hair with her back facing the door is a sign of infidelity.

• If all the matches should fall out of a matchbox, you will have an unexpected visitor.

• A month that starts on a Friday will be full of accidents.

• A person who always uses a bandage on Fridays is a witch.

• The appearance of a comet is an omen of war, famine, or illness.

• When a sleeping adult laughs, it means that a relative will die. On the other hand, if a child laughs while sleeping, it means that angels are playing with him.

Animals

Animals

JUEGO DE ANILLO
by Legaspi

1. Signs

• If a chicken walks in the rain, the rain will stop.

• If moths fly at night, it is a sign that it will rain.

• If frogs croak in the summertime, it is a sign of the coming rain.

• A cat wiping its face is a sign that a visitor is coming.

• A hen clucking at dawn is a sign that an unmarried woman is pregnant.

• If dogs howl at night, it means that evil spirits are lurking around.

• When a house lizard makes a lot of noise, expect a letter or a visitor.

• If you see a spider at night, it is a sign of good luck; but if you see a spider during the day, it is a sign of bad luck.

• If a spider falls from his web and fails to climb back up, it signifies sorrow for the family. But if it falls and climbs back up again, it means that happiness at hand.

• If a gambler meets a lizard on the way to the cockpit, it is a sign of bad luck. But if he meets a snake, it is good luck.

2. Dos and Don'ts

• Don't speak ill of mice, or they will harm you. Call them good creatures.

• After buying a piglet, walk it around your house seven times so it will not go astray.

Illness and Death

Illness and Death

Virgin Mary
by Galo B. Ocampo, 1951

1. Illness and Disease

• Going to bed with wet hair leads to blindness and insanity.

• A wound inflicted on Good Friday will take a long time to heal.

• It is a good idea to change the name of a sickly child. That way you may be able to fool the spirits who are causing the sickness.

• Before you bathe in a spring or river, you must first ask permission form the engkantos (spirits who have the power to enchant people) who dwell there. Otherwise, you might fall ill.

• Before passing over a small hill, you must first ask permission from the engkantos so that you will not get sick.

• Warts are caused by urine of frogs.

2. Death

• Signs and Omens

  • A lingering black butterfly is a sign that one of your relatives just died.

  • A falling spider that lands on you is an omen that someone close to you will die.

  • Do not form groups of three or thirteen, or one of you will die.

  • If you dream that one of your teeth is being pulled out, this means that a family member will die.

  • Sometimes the soul temporarily leaves the body while in a deep sleep. Rousing a person at this time might kill him.

  • When a tree that was planted at the same time that a child was born dies, the child will also die.

• Wake

  • It is said that the soul of the deceased returns on the third, the fifth, and the seventh days after death.

  • The coffin should be built to fit the exact measurement of the corpse. Otherwise, a family member of the deceased will soon die.

  • Be careful that your tears don't fall on the dead or on the coffin. If they do, the dead person will have a difficult journey to the next world.

  • If someone sneezes at a wake, pinch him lest he join the dead.

  • During a wake, never see your visitors off at the door of the chapel or funeral parlor.

  • A widow who caresses her dead husband's face will surely marry again.

  • Do not sweep the house until after the burial.

• Funeral

  • Always carry the coffin out of the house, church, or funeral parlor head first. This prevents the soul of the dead from coming back.

  • During the funeral march, a man whose wife is pregnant should not carry the casket. Before going home, he should light up a cigarette from a fire at the cemetery gate in order to shake off the spirits of the dead.

  • Digging a hole larger than the coffin will cause an immediate relative to join the deceased in the grave.

  • Ater the coffin has been lowered to the grave, all family members should take a handful of soil, spit on it, and throw it in the grave. Doing so will not only bury any evil left behind by the deceased, but also lessen the burden of grief on the family as well.

  • After the funeral service, do not go home directly so that the spirit of the dead person will not follow you to your house.

  • Never let a child step over an open grave lest the spirit of the dead visit that child.

  • Give away your black dresses after one year of mourning to prevent another death in the family.

House, Home, and Family

House, Home, and Family

Bayanihan
by Joselito Barcelona, 1993

1. Constructing a House

• If you are to build a house, always begin during a full moon.

• The best months to build a house is during the months of March, June, July, August, September, and November.

• Never build your house at the end of a cul de sac, or "dead end" road.

• It is bad luck for a house to have thirteen posts.

• When building a house, always remember to place certain things under each structural post. Old coins and religious medals will drive away evil spirits and ensure prosperity. Musical score sheets, medals, coins ensure harmony as well.

• The number of steps on a staircase should not be in multiples of three. Count off the steps as oro (gold), plata (silver), and mata (death). The last step must not fall on mata.

• Always move into a new house on a Wednesday or Saturday.

• If you move to a new home one day before the new moon, you will never go hungry.

• The first things one should carry into a new home n moving day are rice and salt.

• When moving into a new home, scatter coins in the living room so prosperity will reign.

• The number of people sleeping in a new house the first night should be the same for nine consecutive days. Otherwise, death will occur in that house.

2. Signs and Omens

• Bees found inside the house will bring fortune and good luck to its occupants.

• When doves and pigeons leave a house, it is a sign that there is no harmony there, because its owners quarrel all the time.

3. Dos and Don'ts

• If you want to rid your house of bedbugs (fleas), place some on a piece of paper and then leave them in someone else's house. The bedbugs will move to that house.

• If you wish to rid your home of unwanted visitors, secretly sprinkle salt around the house and they will soon depart.

• A guest should not leave the house while the family is eating because opening the doors will let out all the family's good fortune.

• All windows in a house should be opened on New Year's Day to let God's grace in.

Food and Eating

Food and Eating

Merienda
by Carlos V. Francisco

1. Warnings and Signs

• If a spoon falls during a meal, you will be visited by a woman. If it is a fork, a man will be visiting, while if it is a teaspoon, it will be a child.

• A woman who switches seats many times during a meal will have many suitors.

• If you change your permanent place at the family table, the person you will marry will have a short life.

• If you eat too much onions, you will become a playboy or playgirl.

• Eating ripe papayas everyday controls your sexual urges.

• If you choke briefly at mealtime, someone far away remembers you, or is talking about you. To find out who that person could be, immediately ask for any number from the people who are eating with you. The number that will match a letter in the alphabet will be the first letter of the person's name who knows you and is the one who might have remembered you.

2. Things To Do and Not to Do

• If you have to leave the table before finishing your meal in order to go on a trip, turn around the plates on the table so that your trip will be safe.

• Do not put money on the dining table while eating.

• The number of persons sitting down in a meal should not add up to 13.

• When cooking, leave a few grains of rice in the sack and then tie it tightly. This wayt, your guests will not consume all the food at once.

• If you leave some rice in the pot there will always be something to eat in the house.

• If a fish bone gets stuck in your throat, don't tell a soul; turn your plate around three times and the bone will disappear.

• It is good to use plates when serving food to your guests. The grace of your guests will remain on the plates and be a blessing to your family.

• When a stranger or distang relative arrives in your home, serve him water first so that he brings you only good news.

• When dining in the home of strangers, always eat food from the center of the plate.

• Do not stack dirty dishes one on top of the other, or it may lead to adultery.

Money and Wealth

Money and Wealth

Market Scene
by Greg Bolanos

1. Signs and Omens

• A person who breaks an egg and finds two yolks inside will be rich.

• A white butterfly is a sign of impending wealth.

• A small anthill under the house is a sign of good fortune.

• A house frequented by black ants means that its owner will be rich.

2. What to Do/Not to Do

• Do not put your purse or handbag down on the floor, or you will not prosper.

• Never sweep the floor at night, or you will lose all your wealth.

• Whoever pays his debts at night will become poor.

• As soon as you see a shooting star, wrap some money in a corner of your handkerchief and play any game of chance, for you are surely going to win.

• If your palm itches, it means you will receive a lot of money.

• After you dress up and you immediately discover that you wore your dress inside-out, it means that you are going to receive money shortly.

• Always keep a coin or money bills inside your bag or suitcase. If you don't spend it, it means you will have money for the whole year.

• If you find a coin on the road, put it in your purse or pocket. If you never use it, you will never be short of money.
  
• Give a generous discount to the day's first customer, so that your sales for the day will increase.

Infants and Children

Infants and Children

Mag-Ina sa Banig
by Nestor Leynes, 1960

1. Infants

• If a baby often holds his feet, it means that he wants a younger brother or sister.

• Cutting a baby's eyelashes during her first month will them grow long and beautiful.

• An infant must not be kissed when he is sleeping because he will turn naughty when he grows up.

• A baby who sucks on her toes means her mother will soon be pregnant again.

• Kissing a baby's feet will result in the baby talking back to her parents when she grows up.

• A breech baby will bring luck to the family. She will also have the power to remove fish spines stuck in another person's throat by merely touching that person's neck.

• When a baby is baptized, he should be carried by a person with plenty of coins in his hand or pocket. This brings good luck to the baby.

2. Children

• A child that cries during his baptism is a sign of prosperity. The harder the child cries, the richer he will be.

• When a child is ready to walk, put him on the stairs. Have him step on a plate or anywhere else so long as his feet do not touch the ground first. This is to ensure that he will always find his way home from wherever he may roam.

• If a child's milktooth falls out, throw it up onto the roof of the house so that the rats will find it. When the new tooth grows in, it wil be as strong and as powerful as a rat's tooth.

• Children should not be allowed to play late in the afternoon when the horizon is yellow-orange in color, because evil spirits roam around at the time.

• Stepping over a child while he is asleep will slow down his growth.

CONCEPTTTION AND CHILDBIRTH

CONCEPTTTION AND CHILDBIRTH

Mother and Child
by Isabelo M. Quiles, 1992

1. Pregnancy

• If a pregnant woman's abdomen is pointed, her baby will be a boy; if it is round, the baby will be a girl.

• Give an expectant mother anything she craves for, or she will have a miscarriage.

• If a pregnant woman wants to avoid the unpleasant symptoms of pregnancy, she should step over her husband while he is sleeping and all of her symptoms will be transferred to him.

• If a pregnant woman eats a fruit from a tree, all the remaining fruits will remain sour.

• A pregnant woman who eats "twin" bananas will give birth to twins. To prevent this, she must split the twin bananas behind her back.

• A pregnant woman shouldn't have her picture taken, or her child will die at birth.

• Visitors who do not enter the house but linger at the door instead will cause a pregnant woman a difficult delivery.

2. Delivery

• When a woman is about to give birth, place a lighted candle under her bed so that any witches passing by may be seen.

• After the baby is delivered, the umbilical cord must be rubbed on the newborn's cheek to produce dimples.

• When a baby lies on her stomach for the first time, place a pencil, paper, and a book under her so that she will be intelligent.

Love, Courtship, and Marriage

Love, Courtship, and Marriage

Tampuhan
by Juan Luna, 1895

1. How will I know how my future spouse looks like?

If you want to know what your lifetime partner will look like, wake up in the middle of the night and take a look at yourself in the mirror while holding a lighted candle. At first, the image in the mirror will appear to be a skeleton. After five minutes, you will see a full view of the person you will marry.

2. Giving gifts to your beloved.

A. No handkerchiefs please.

You can give your sweetheart a handkerchief as a gift, but it will only
make her cry.

B. No pointed/sharp objects please.

Engaged couples should not exchange pointed or sharp objects as
gifts, or this would lead to a broken engagement.

3. Eloping and the half-moon:

When a star appears near a half-moon, it is a sign that young couples are eloping.

4. Before the wedding:

A. Avoid travelling

Engaged couples should avoid travelling before their wedding day to avoid
accidents.

B. The bride should not try on her wedding dress before the wedding. If she
does, the wedding will not push through.

5. On the wedding day:

A. The groom should arrive at the church before the bride, in order to avoid bad
luck.

B. Dropping the wedding ring, or the couple's veil, or arrhae during the
wedding ceremony means that the couple will not be happy in their
marriage.

C. The groom who sitsdown ahead of his bride during their wedding ceremony
will be a henpecked husband.

D. During the wedding ceremony a bride must step on her husband's foot in
order to that both of them will agree on things that they will undertake, and
so that her husband will not be cruel to her.

E. Whoever of the couple stands first after the ceremony, will die ahead of the
other.

F. A bride who cries during the wedding will bring bad luck to the marriage.

G. It is bad omen for the newly-wed couple if their parents cry during the
wedding.

H. If it rains during the wedding, the couple will have many cry babies.

I. Throwing rice at the newly-wed couple will bring them prosperity in life.

J. Breaking something during the wedding reception brings goodluck to the
newly-wed couple.

K. Upon entering their new home, the couple should go up the stairs alongside
each other so that neither one will dominate the other.

6. Other folk beliefs and superstitions:

A. It is bad luck for two siblings to be married within the same year. In order to
remedy the situation, the sibling who marries later in the year should pass
through the backstairs of the church on the day of the wedding.

B.A person who habitually sits at the head of the table during meals will never
marry.

C. Women who have moles under their eyes, right where their tears fall, will be
widowed.

D. Removing plates from the table while an unmarried woman is still eating
will keep her single all her life.

E. An unwed gril who follows the footprints of a newly-wed couple will marry
soon.

F. If a woman is widowed during a newmoon, she will marry again.

G. A married woman who wears a pearl ring will cause her husband to commit
adultery.

H. If the husband leaves the house soon after a quarrel, the wife should get his
shirt, hang it over the stove, and whip it several times. The husband is
certain to come back.