Folk Wisdom or Superstition (Part 4)

Dr Abe V Rotor

Categorize each item if Folk Wisdom or Superstition.  State your basis. 

 

41. A spiny cactus inside the house drives the witch away.

Having spiny cactus is a message itself to keep off. And everyone must be extra careful not to play around it. And thieves beware. That’s how serious the homeowner is.  

42.             A papaya plant in front of a house brings bad luck.

The milky sap of papaya is likened to tears.  Tears are associated with sufferings and unfortunate circumstances. Solution: Plant papaya somewhere else, at least far enough as not to remind one of something sad or tragic in his life. Then visit the tree when its fruits ripen, or when cooking tinola and you need its fruit green.    

43.             If a Fortune plant received as a gift bears flower, it is a sign of good luck; if it dies it is an omen of bad luck.

Fortune plant (Dracaena) is propagated by cutting.  The cutting is first allowed to produce new shoots before it is placed in a vase or dish. Water is regularly replaced, and once in a while the plant is taken out under the sun to give it vigor. Dracaena directly planted in pots and in the ground grows into a small tree and may bear a bouquet of flowers especially during the cold months, if properly tended.

One must have a green thumb, so to speak, which often accompanies happy disposition and diligence, otherwise he may fail to meet the horticultural needs of the plant.   

44.            Talking while preparing gabi (taro) for cooking makes it itchy when eaten.

Advise: pay attention to your work..  Undercooked gabi is itchy.  The reason is that gabi (Colocasia esculenta) contains raphides and crystalliths imbedded in its tissues – leaves, stalks and corm.  These are glass-like calcium compounds that are destroyed by heat.   

45. Bringing salt under a sour fruit-bearing tree will cause the fruits to fall.

Naturally.  What goes better than a pinch of salt when eating juvenile sampaloc, kamias, kasoy or green mango? 

46. When walking through a forest, wear a face mask backward to ward off tiger or lion attack.

We do not have tigers and lions in the Philippines.  But in many parts of Asia and Africa, there are cases of people attacked from behind by these ferocious animals. Reversed mask makes the fellow appear on the watch. But recently, these animals could no longer be deceived. Either they have become bolder, or it is simply a case of poor art.

47. A person who eats ripe fruits partly eaten by birds becomes talkative.

It is a cure to children who are just too quiet for their age. The old folks would give children ripe fruits they first offer to a parakeet or parrot. At one time I tasted guayabano ripen on the tree which bore teeth marks. Since then I began reciting in class.  That’s how convincing Lolo Vicente was. (Note: it was a fruit bat that tasted the guyabano fruit, and early sunrise must have prevented the nocturnal animal from finishing it.)  By the way, birds and bats may carry certain diseases, such as rabies and bird flu. 

48. Before you sip your wine, spill a little for the unseen spirits.

And say a little prayer, too, to appease the souls and spirits. It is a sign of peace and respect not only to the memory of the departed souls and spirits of the place, but also a gesture to the host and company. But please do it discreetly and with finesse.  

 49. Food offering (atang) at the family altar during festivals is homage to the spirits.

The explanation is similar to that above.  The practice includes offering a plate of food and drink the host has prepared for the occasion.  It is placed on the family altar, or any place the souls and spirits are deemed to be present. Respect (pag-galang) is true Filipino and Oriental tradition to the living, the dead and the unseen. It binds people together, keeps memories of loved ones alive, and adds quaintness to village life.    

 50. Eating from stocks intended for seeds will bring poor harvest.

Well, what is there left to harvest if you eat the binhi (seed stock)?

In some drought-ravaged areas in Ethiopia and India, farmers are forced to live on their seed stocks intended for the next season.  At one time, donated seeds, in order to discourage people from eating them, were treated with pesticide containing mercuric compound.  In spite of the warning there were reported incidents of poisoning.