Superstitions.

The ancient Filipinos, like all other people on

earth, had their superstitions. They believed in witches, such as the
asuang, who assumed the form of a dog, a bird or any other animal,
and devoured human flesh; the mangkukulam, who caused people to
die or be sick by pricking a toy with his magic pin; the tianak, who
sucked the baby’s entrails by means of his elongated proboscis; and the
tighalang, 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 possessors
invulnerable; gayuma, a love potion which can arouse an adamant
woman's affection; odom, Bicol magic herb which makes its possesor
invisible to the human eye: and uiga, a Visayan charm which enables
any man to cross a river without getting wet.

Many of these ancient superstitious beliefs survive to the present

day. Among them are the following: (1) The appearance of a comet
is an ill omen, for it is a harbinger of war, pestilence, or calamity;
(2) if a pregnant woman cuts her hair, she will give birth to a hairless
child; (3) a pregnant woman should not eat twin bananas, otherwise
she will give birth to twins; (4) a girl who sings before the stove
while cooking will marry an old widower; and (5) when a cat wipes
its face with its paw, a visitor is coming to the house.