Jon Patrick Bacongallo BSA-III

RELIGION


Ancient Filipinos were pagans. their supreme God was Bathala, creator of heaven,
earth, and men.
 early Filipinos worshipped ancestral spirits called anitos(Tagalog) or diwatas (Bisayan)
 sacrifices called maganito were offered.
 sacrifices was performed by a priest or priestess called katalona or baylana.
 They believed in life after death

BURIAL and MOURNING CUSTOMS

 In burying their dead, the corpse was embalmed and was buried amidst deep sorrow
ner his home, in cave, or on a headland overlooking the sea.
 during the period of mourning, relatives wore rattan bands around their necks, arms,
and legs.
 they abstained from eating meat and drinking wine.
 larao - mourning custom for deceased datu
 no colored clothes were worn by the grieving people
 all wars and quarrels were suspended
 singing in boats returning from the sea was prohibited
 all warriors carried their spears with their tips pointed downward and their daggers
with hilts reversed.

SUPERSTITIONS

 They believed in witches, suc has the asuang who assumed the form of a dog, a bird,
or any oter animal
 mangkukulam - who caused people to die or to be sick by pricking a toy with hissed
magic pin
 tianak - who sucked the baby's entrails by means of his elongated proboscis
 tigbalang - who appeared in the form of a dog, a horse, or an old man to deceive his
victims
 They believed in the magical power of amulets or charms, such as the:
 anting-anting - which was believed to make its possessor invulnerable to iron
weapons
 gayuma - a love potion which can arouse an adamant woman's affection
 odom - a Bicol magic herb which makes its possessor invisible to the human eye