the sun and the moon

The Sun and the Moon[1] Once upon a time the Sun and the Moon were married, and they had many children who were the stars. The Sun was very fond of this children, but whenever he tried to embrace any of them, he was so hot that he burned them up. This made the Moon so angry that finally she forbade him to touch them again, and he was greatly grieved. One day the Moon went down to the spring to do some washing, and when she left she told the sun that he must not touch any of their children in her absence. When she returned, however, she found that he had disobeyed her, and several of the children in had perished. She was very angry, and picked up a banana tree to strike hime, whereupon he threw sand in her face, and to this day you can see the dark marks on the face of the Moon. Then the Sun started to chase her, and they have been going ever since. Sometimes he gets so near that he almost catches her, but she escapes, and bay and bay she is far ahead again.[2] [1] These Visayan tales reflect old beliefs covered with a veneer of European ideas. The Visayan still holds to many of the old superstitions, not because he has reasoned them out for himself, but because his ancestors believed them and transmitted them to him in such stories as these. [2] A very old explanatory tale. In a slightly varying from it is found in other parts of the islands

why is the sea salty

Why the Sea is Salty?

Philippines

Long, long time ago, in the South coast of Asia, there is a big cave whom a giant live there. His name is Asong. The villagers near the cave knew him and Asong always helped the transport salt from the mountains to their village for everyday use. Since he was gigantic, he can travel half of the world just in three days. But once, the town's people from other towns heard about how productive the village was, they planned to associate with the villagers there; but honestly the want to invade the place. Knowing by the number of people, they forcefully set a deal with the villagers for a promise of greater production in return. But, in spite of their few numbers, they disagreed because they knew that if the town's people knew about Asong, they will freak out and maybe they will capture Asong and make him a source of entertainment to everyone. Also, news really flies that's why Asong heard the news immediately and his anger defeated him. He rage directly to the invaders and drove them away and the villagers celebrated for the greatness Asong did for them. Even though, Asong drove them, they still would't give up so they planned scheme how they can get rid of the giant. Meanwhile, while Asong was transferring bags and bags of salt from the mountain to the village, the invaders sneaked to the forest and as soon as Asong reach the shore they broke jars full of ants to attack Asong to let the villagers know that nothing and no one can get in their way of succeeding. Because of the itchiness Asong felt because of ant bites he could't control his balance and fell down splashing into the water. Because of that, the salt sank down, down into the depth. Because of what happened, the villagers' will to fight rose up and in the end, defeated the town's people. But, unfortunately, Asong drowned himself and the villagers couldn't do anything to move Asong because he's very big. The villagers just acknowledged the great deed Asong gave them and buried him there eventually by just putting soil all over his body. By the end, because time passes, Asong became a complete land and the people called the land Asia derived from Asong's name and because of Asong, the Sea is Salty.

maria makiling

Mariang Makiling, the Fairy of the Mountain

Mariang Makiling is said to be the mysterious fairy guarding Mount Makiling. No one knows how old she is. It is believed she is as old as the mountain itself. The very few people who have seen her wandering around the thick forest of Makiling say she is tall and graceful, with brown skin, deep black eyes, and hair almost touching the ground. Deer hunters have seen her standing on the edge of a cliff on moonlit nights, with her long hair floating in the air and her singing echoing throughout the deep valleys.

Mariang Makiling likes to appear after a storm. She strolls around the woods to straighten broken trunks, replace nests on the branches of trees, mend the wings of butterflies, and clear the streams of fallen twigs and logs. As she walks around, all signs of the storm disappear; roses and orchids bloom, birds chirp with glee, and deer run around once again.

Mariang Makiling has often appeared as an old woman begging for food from hunters. She does this to test their kindness to those in need. People who refuse to help her are chased away from the forest with the sound of howling monsters hiding in the shadows of the woods.

As time went by people saw less of Mariang Makiling. She no longer appears to people to bring them gifts of gold and jewels. Hunters have no one to turn to when they are hungry and thirsty.

Many blame Mariang Makiling’s disappearance from the forest on the people who do not return her generosity. Others say that the cutting of trees and excessive hunting of wild animals have greatly disappointed Mariang Makiling that she refuses to come out anymore. But the tale of the mysterious fairy of Mount Makiling lives on.

She is beautiful, kindhearted and loving. She had a long shiny black hair and she often wear black pearls and gold jewelry. She often shows off herself to people living at the foot of the mountain as a human. Many times,people would climb up to the mountain and pick some fruits but when they came down,fruits changed into gold. People thanked her for it.

Maria Makiling is the guardian spirit of the mountain, responsible for protecting its bounty and thus, is also a benefactor for the townspeople who depend on the mountain's resources. In addition to being a guardian of the mountain, some legends also identify Laguna de Bay - and the fish caught from it - as part of her domain.

It is often said that Mount Makiling resembles the profile of a woman, said to be Maria herself. This phenomenon is described as true from several different perspectives, so there is no single location associated with this claim. The mountain's various peaks are said to be Maria's face and two breasts, respectively, and her hair cascades downwards a gentle slope away from her body.