Why the sky is so high

Long ago, the Sky was quite low. If you stood on a stool and stretched your hands up as high as
they would go, you could touch the Sky.
At that time, far on the Horizon, where the Sky was
always especially low, there was a village. In that
village, in a little mud hut thatched with straw,
there lived a bent Old Woman.
This bent Old Woman was the oldest woman in
that village, possibly the oldest woman in the
world. She was so old she no longer remembered
any other way of being. She lived all alone in her
little mud hut, for she had neither friend nor family
left in this world. She had nowhere to go and no
one to talk to. So all day long, she would potter
round her hut, first cleaning this corner, now
dusting that, now scrubbing this bit of floor, now
sweeping that.
The bent Old Woman thought of nothing else any more, except more and more ways of sweeping
and scrubbing her little mud hut.
One hot summer, the land was dry with thirst. There was dust everywhere – on the trees, on the
roofs of huts and houses, in people’s throats and eyes, even in the air. All over the village people
were coughing and sneezing and choking with the dust. Even the poor old Sky was not spared – it
was so close to the ground that the slightest bit of wind would set it coughing with the dust that rose
from the parched land.
The bent Old Woman’s hut too was covered with dust. The old woman swept and swept and swept
the little hut with her broom. She swept the inside of her hut, she swept the outside of her hut, she
swept the front step and she swept the front yard. But the dust rose all around her in great brown
clouds – the more she swept and plied her broom, the more the dust that rose from the earth.
The poor Sky began to choke with all the dust that the bent Old Woman was raising with her broom.
The dust got into its throat and tickled its nose and made it sneeze – a great big sneeze that shook
the world with its thunder. People covered their heads and ran indoors in fright. But the bent Old
Woman barely noticed – she kept on sweeping with her broom.
The Sky sneezed again – the dust was becoming unbearable. It got into its eyes and made them
water – so that great heavy drops of rain began falling into the dry dust below. The bent Old Woman
barely noticed – till finally a big splodgy raindrop fell right on to the patch she had just swept.
The bent Old Woman glared at the Sky and scrubbed the splodgy raindrop away. But then another
raindrop fell, and another, till her swept and scrubbed front step was blotchy with raindrops.
This was more than the bent Old Woman could bear. She stood up as straight as she could with her
bent old back and shook her fist at the Sky yelling at it to stop raining on her nice clean front step.
She cursed the Sky and threatened it, but the poor old Sky couldn’t stop raining – its eyes were still
so full of dust with all her sweeping.
At last, the bent Old Woman was so angry, that she picked up her broom, and thwacked the Sky
with it.
The Sky gave another great sneeze and jumped out of her way. But the bent Old Woman kept
thwacking it with her broom, again and again and again.
Finally the Sky could take it no more – the dust, the Old Woman’s cursing, and especially her broom,
thwacking it again and again and again. Sneezing and coughing, thundering and raining, the Sky
flew up, up and away – out of reach of the Old Woman’s broom and swore never to come down
again.
So that is why the Sky is so high. Even on the Horizon, where it seems to be touching the earth, it
really isn’t any more.
 The Legend of the Guava
Philippine culture is rich in folklore. One tale I enjoyed during my childhood was the legend of the
guava fruit, which comes with a moral lesson. A guava tree or fruit is called bayabas in Tagalog,
which is the language of the Philippines.

The story goes like this:

A long time ago, there's a king who ruled a rich, prosperous island. He had all the things a king could
ever ask for: the power, the wealth, and all the delicious foods one could only imagine.The king's
name was King Barabas.
King Barabas is a rude king and overweight, indulging himself to all the foods available, hesitant to
share. And his castle is starting to become filthy. He would spend most of his time sitting and eating
with his bare hands. As he eats, he drips food on the floor and smile mockingly at the people around
him, specially his servants.

People in the kingdom would approach with requests for his help, but he would always refuse. As he
neglected his kingdom, people started to complain and starve.

After some time, an old hunched-back woman showed up at the castle begging for food while the
king was eating. The old lady asked for food as she was starving.
"Go away! I don't have anything to give. Can't you see I'm eating?" said the king.

"Please, my king," begged the old woman. "I'm asking for anything, anything you could give me as I
am so hungry. Even a little piece of bread or fruit would do."

"Get out at once! You disgust me," the king belittled the old beggar.
The old woman stood up straight, casting aside her stooped posture. "I've heard much about you
and how your kingdom is suffering." The tone of her voice had changed. It was no longer the voice of
a weak, old woman. "I asked for help, and you shoved me away. You have a lot for yourself, but
when I only asked for a little food, you belittled me. You are selfish. No one loves you and no one will
remember you when you are gone!"
And the beggar disappeared.
After a few more days, the king slowly weakened and became sick. No one knows what's wrong with
him. He got weaker and weaker and lost much weight. He looked older than his age. Soon after that,
the king died. As unfortunate and unexpected as it was, no one cried and nobody showed up at the
king's burial. He died alone.

And where the king was buried, his people noticed a strange plant growing, a plant they had never
seen before. The plant soon grew into a tree, which bore rounded fruits that turned yellowish when
ripe.

People also noticed that the fruit seemed to have a crown as it develops, which reminded them of
their selfish, arrogant king. The flesh of the fruit tasted a bit sour, just like the sour personality of the
king towards them.
The people learned to eat the fruit, which helped them with starvation. And because the tree was
from the grave of their King Barabas and it has crown just like their king, they named the tree after
him: barabas, which in time they called bayabas.
The fruit is still called, as to this day, bayabas.

And although the guava may have came from the rude, selfish King Barabas, guava fruit is one of
the fruits that offers many health benefits when consumed, the fruit is a good source of vitamin C.
The leaves are made into tea and treats many diseases as well from a simple toothache, to treating
diarrhea, lowering blood sugar, and many more. And it is used amongst young boys after their
circumcision in the Philippines.

Or maybe it's the way of the late king to make up for the wrongdoings?
 The Legend of the Stars
A long, long time ago, there is a couple. The only man, and only woman when the Earth was young
and new. The young couple relies on their surroundings for food, shelter, and they use leaves as a
way of clothing.

The man would usually go fishing or hunting for food and they plant crops too. He is strong and well
built. The woman on the other hand, is beautiful. Each morning as she wakes up, she would start the
day by spending time combing her long, wavy black hair. After that, she would put on her jewels. Her
necklace is made of pearls and so as her earrings. The young woman used to hang her jewels on
clouds as the Earth is new, the sky and clouds are so close that a human hand can reach it. Each
night as she retires to sleep, she would hang back her jewels on the clouds and wear it in the
morning.

Then one day when the woman was using the big mortar and pestle, removing the rice bran from the
grains, she found it hard to do so as she keeps on hitting the clouds every time she use the pestle.
So when her husband came home that night, they talked about the situation and agreed to try asking
God the next morning.
The woman, as always, started her day by spending time combing her hair before putting on her
jewels. As she started her tasks, it bother her hitting the clouds again. She just wished she could
have more room to do her work.
So she finally said, " God. I had a favor to ask. If you could please make the sky a little higher so I
won't hit the clouds?" And so, the sky got a little higher. And she continued her work.

The night came, and it's morning again the following day. This time her husband is helping her on
her work. They both used the mortar and pestle. But still, the sky is still close that they could still hit
it. And so they asked again, "God, I already asked the other day but the sky is still low that our pestle
can still touch the clouds. If you could make it a little more higher this time?" They we're heard so the
sky became much higher.
But the two aren't satisfied yet. They want it much higher, to give them more space. And so they
called again to ask the favor, " We still can't move around the way we want to. The sky is still low
that we can reach it. Could you please make it much higher?"
But this time, God wanted to teach both of them a lesson. Being given the favor and still not satisfied
of what they have, God did made the sky higher. The couple watch in astonishment as the sky
keeps on getting higher, higher that they can eve reach.
But alas! The woman's jewels that hangs on the cloud are now gone too as her jewels went up with
the clouds. They said that high was already enough but still, the sky keeps on getting higher and the
clouds appears smaller and smaller to them.
And soon, they realized they we're being taught a valuable lesson but It was late already for them.
The Legend of the Pineapple: A Filipino Folk Tale
Once upon a time, there was a woman who lived with her daughter Pina in a tiny
hut in the village. They were poor, and the mother worked day and night to make
both ends meet. No matter how hard she worked, though, she never got any help
from her daughter. Pina was a lazy, spoiled kid who liked to play in the backyard all
day. Whenever her mother asked for help around the house or tried to send her on
an errand, she would always find an excuse by saying she can’t find the object that
was needed to complete that task. If her mother asked her to sweep the house, for
example, she would say she cannot find the broom, even if it was right there in front
of her. Needless to say, her mother always ended up doing the work herself.
One day, her mother became very ill. She called out to Pina, who as usual was
playing in the backyard.

“Pina! Pina! Come over here, anak. I am very sick. Can you cook some porridge for me please? I am too weak to
get up.”
Pina ignored her mother and continued to play.

“Pina, come over here this very instant, or else!” Pina’s mother mustered all her strength just to say this, but it
worked. Pina grudgingly stopped playing and went inside the house. She poked her head inside her mother’s room.

“What do you want, Nanay (mother)? You really expect me to cook for you? That’s too hard,” protested Pina,
pouting and stomping her feet.
“Pina, it is very simple. Just put some rice in a pot and add water. Once the water boils, let it
simmer for awhile. Stir it occasionally with a ladle. Everything you need should be right there in
the kitchen.”
Pina reluctantly left and went to the kitchen. Her mother could hear her banging the drawers
and cabinets. Then her mother heard her open the back door and sneak out into the backyard.
Her mother waited and waited. Finally, she called out to Pina
again.
“Pina, did you cook like I told you to?”
“No,” was the defiant response.
“And why not?” was her mom’s exasperated response.
“Because I could not find the ladle,” was her flippant reply.
“Oh, you lazy child! You probably did not even bother to
look for it! What am I going to do with you? Here I am, sick,
and I cannot even count on you!”
Her mother wept bitterly. In her anger, she shouted, “I
wish you would grow a thousand eyes all over your head! Then
you can find what you’re looking for. Maybe then you won’t
have any more excuses.”
As soon as she said this, there was complete silence. Her
mother thought, “She is trying to be quiet so I will forget
about asking her again.” She sighed.
She waited a little bit to see if Pina would come back.
Realizing the wait was futile, she wearily got up to do the
cooking herself. When she looked out into the backyard, Pina
was nowhere to be found. She sighed again and said to herself, “That lazy kid probably went to a
friend’s house so she did not have to do any more errands for me.”
Exhausted from the exertion, she soon went back to her room for a much-needed rest. Weak as she was, she just
tried to do everything by herself, having given up on any help from Pina. Hours passed by, and then days. Still no sign
of her wayward daughter. With a heavy heart, she thought that Pina had ran away for sure.

When she finally recovered from her illness, the first thing she did was look for Pina. No one had seen or heard
from her. It was like she disappeared into thin air. Months passed and still no sign of her. The mother felt bad for her
angry outburst, and she feared that she might probably never see her daughter again.

One day, she was sweeping the backyard where Pina used to play. For months now, she had noticed this strange
plant growing on the very spot where she last saw Pina. By this time, the leaves of the plant had fully opened. Inside,
she saw this strange yellow fruit that resembled a child’s head with a thousand eyes. A thousand eyes…

She suddenly remembered the spiteful words she used that fateful day. With
horror, she realized that in the same way her mother’s love had spoiled her daughter, so did her
anger unwittingly curse her. Somehow, her daughter had been turned into this plant.
To honor the memory of her beloved daughter, she named the fruit Pina. She took such loving care of it like it was
her own daughter. The fruit flourished so well that it bore more and more fruits, and became popular among the
village and the entire country. Its name later evolved to pinya, or pineapple in English. That’s how the pineapple came
to be, according to folklore, named after a spoiled child who was cursed with a thousand eyes…
 TheLegend of Mayon Volcano
Long ago in a place called Ibalon, there lived a
beautiful maiden. Her name was Daragang
Magayon (the lovely one). She was the daughter of
Makusog (the strong one), chief of the tribe.

One day, Daragang Magayon strolled near the

river. While crossing the river, she stumbled on
a rock and fell quickly in the water. She was
swiftly swept down stream by the current.

“Help! Help me!” she cried. Fortunately, her

cries were heard by Pangaronon (the proud
one) and his bodyguard Amihan (the cold one). Pangaronon jumped into the river and
saved Daragang Magayon.

“Thank you for risking your life to save me”, she cried. “How can I repay you? My father
is the chief of our tribe. Surely, he will reward your heroism whatever it may take.”

Her beauty immediately captivated Pangaronon. He realized that he had finally met the
perfect woman for him. At the same time, Daragang Mayon was instantly attracted to
him.

Panganoron asked Makusog’s permission to marry Daragang Magayon. But Makusog

could not permit them to marry. Tribal law forbade marriage outside of the clan. As tribe
leader he had to enforce the law. Yet, as a father, he wanted to make his daughter
happy.

Meanwhile, Patuga (the eruptive one) learned about Panganoron’s intention. Patuga
was the most ardent suitor of Daragang Magayon. For years, he had been convincing
her to marry him, but to One night, Patuga and his cohorts kidnapped Makusog. Then,
he sent word to Daragang Magayon that her father would die if she did not marry him.
Without a choice, she acceded. Only then did Patuga release Makusog. Soon Patuga
and Daragang Magayon were wed. But in the midst of the merrymaking, pandemonium
broke out when Panganoron and his men arrived. Fighting ensued between teh two
tribes. In a few minutes, Panganoron fatally struck Patuga. However, during the
skirmish, a poisoned arrow shot from nowhere, fell on Daragang Magayon’s breast.no
avail.

Panganoron rushed to her aid and as he kneeled over the dying Daragang Magayon, an
enemy hacked his head off.

After the battle, Daragang Magayon was buried and her death was mourned all over the
land. Where she was put to rest, a mountain mysteriously appeared

This mountain is now known as Mayon. It is said that even in death and in another form,
she is still haunted by the men who lover her. When Mayon is said to erupt, this is
Patuga challenging Panganoron. But when Mayon is calm, Panganoron is embracing
her. The tears of Panganoron are shed as rain at times in his grief.

Until today, many are still delighted by the love story behind the legend of the Mayon
Volcano.