Bahay Kubo in acylic by AVRotor
“If
a man does away with his traditional way of living and throws away his good
customs, he had better first make certain that he has something of value to
replace them.”
- Robert Ruark, Something of Value (Old Basuto Proverb)
Popular literature is literally zarzuela off-stage, so natural and spontaneous, the audience and
actors are one, and the topics are anything under the sun. They are full of
laughter and tears, and most often,
nostalgia – laughing while crying, a sad-happy feeling, a kind of telenobela
and Scheherazade series. Stories end but
there is always a second or third part, or ad
infinitum. That is why Filipinos are among the happiest people on
earth.
Popular literature is shock absorber and springboard, too, hope
sinks and rises like sunset and sunrise. Filipinos are great inventors. If they
did not split the atom, they split hair to explode into laughter. They do not bother formulas but know a good
recipe. The best doctor is not one from John Hopkins; he is the kind elderly herbolario. Why complicate things in the
first place? Anyone can be a story teller, playwright, and author and there
goes the multiplier effect: literature of,
for and by the people.
For example, here’s a story of a travelling old woman who stopped
the bus in order to answer the call of nature. It was night time and the driver
dutifully put on the brakes on a convenient roadside. It did not take long for
the old woman to do her thing. After returning and the bus had started
off, the old woman suddenly stopped the bus again, and quickly ran back to the
spot - because she forgot something. “May nakalimutan si Lola,” (Grandmother
forgot something) quipped the driver. The old woman just smiled back
exuding a feeling of relief and contentment.
What is the belief of old people regarding this practice of
spitting on the spot after answering the call of nature? If you believe
in the kib-baan, the spirit of trees and thickets, the fearful kapre; the dwendes (dwarfs)
that guard the anthills (punso), their home; and the spirits of the dead
still roaming around, then you would not dare question the old folks. Spitting
discourages the unseen that sometimes play pranks or may just chance upon some
mortals.
Would you do what the old woman did if you were in her shoes, we
mean slippers? Which, by the way, she removed before boarding the bus, a habit
of leaving your footwear at the doorstep before entering the house. ~
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