Myths, Legends, Folktales in Region 4A-CALABARZON

   Myths, Legends, Folktales in CALARBARZON

  Ana Kalang Festival: Staging the Town's Myths, Legends, and Culture

          Ana Kalang Festival is a 5-day celebration every April in Nagcarlan, Laguna, across the foot of Mt. Banahaw and Mt. Cristobal. This festival commemorates the bountiful harvest of the town’s agro-industrial products which are abundant in the place, like rice, coconuts and lanzones.

The festival was named after the legendary tribe head Ana Kalang, which according to the myth was known for her tremendous wealth, kindness, piety and generosity. It is said that she used to help her townspeople in times of trouble. One day, a Spaniard came to her house and upon looking out of the window, he saw branches swaying and hitting one another, and so he asked what was going on. Ana Kalang answered and said “nagkakalang sila”. The word was repeatedly mispronounced by the Spaniards until it became Nagcarlan, which is now the name of the town. It was also said that Ana Kalang saw the Virgin Sta. Ana who took the poison out of the lanzones fruits to make them edible. Now, lanzones is one of the major products of the province.

The major attraction of the festival is the parade and the street dancing contest. Street dancers are dressed in beautiful and colorful native costumes. They dance gracefully in the streets, moving around the giant Kalang-Kalang. The Kalang-Kalang is a unique folk art and a giant statue that is ten feet high and made of various fruits, vegetables and indigenous materials. The parade is fun and enjoyable, with so much participation of the townspeople dancing merrily with the sounds of drums and lyre corps from different schools. You can also see beautiful majorettes in elegant uniforms.

Barangays, schools, organizations and individuals join the Kalang-Kalang making contest. Each of the statues that they make will be displayed in an exhibit and paraded around the town in the last day of the festival. You can see the creativity of the people in beautifying their statues and adorning them with glittery and colorful costumes and accessories.

Nipa huts are also decorated with fruits and vegetables. From afar, the decors look like colorful curtains with various designs, but when you come nearer, they're actually vegetables like sayote, raddish, chili, upo, and tomato.

Other highlights of the festival include the agro-trade fair where people can show their skills in handicraft-making and basket-weaving and showcase their products and agricultural crops like fresh fruits and vegetables, coffee and root crops. These products are also for sale to both local and foreign visitors. Cooking contest, nightly cultural shows, tours in the town’s scenic and historical spots, antique exhibits, garden shows, folk games, school bands exhibitions and a beauty pageant are the other lively activities in this festival.

Another special feature of the festival is the “Sunduan”, meaning “to fetch”. Sunduan is an old Filipino fiesta ritual that pays tribute to the Filipina’s unique Asian beauty. This is participated by the muses and escorts of the town’s different communities. These muses are then fetched by their escorts with the town mayor accompanying them from the farthest end of the town to the festival site. All are dressed in native costumes; these muses compete to be crowned the “Bb. Ana Kalang”.

Myths, legends, and cultures blend together in this dynamic Ana Kalang Festival. You will witness people's creativity and resourcefulness while having a glimpse of their rich cultural heritage.

The Myth of Mariang Makiling

    Long ago,in Mount Makiling,there lived a beautiful goddess name Mariang Makiling. 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.

But one day,some people robbed her jewelry. Some hunters climb up the mountain and hunted for wild animals,cut down trees and left the forest at the top of the mountain denuded. At that time,one of those hunters is a mortal which Mariang Makiling fell in love with. She discovered that that hunter already have a mortal as his wife. After those things happened,Mariang Makiling was very angry that it thundered and rained hard that night and her voice was heard by all people leaving at the foot of the mountain saying "I have provided you food,treasures and shelter but it wasn't enough for you!I have given you everything you want but still you aren't contented. I loved you more than myself but still you searched for mortal love. Now,feel my anger! And wait for my revenge! From now on,you shall stand on your own feet and you will never see me again. I swear!" And she laughed so hard that it brought an earthquake.

After her large voice was heard, she never showed herself again to those mortals who abused her kindness. Today,it is still believed that MAriang Makiling is still living there.

  Alamat ng Batangas

      Kung saan nagmula ang pangalan ng mayamang lalawigang Batangan na ngayo’y lalong kilala sa tawag na Batanggas, ay siyang inihahayag ng maikling alamat na ito.

          Matagal nang panahon ang nakalilipas, nang ang isang pangkat ng mga Kastila ay maglibot sa isa sa mga lalawigan sa may timog sa Gitnang Luzon. Nang mga panahong iyon ay wala pang mga sasakyang kagaya ng awto, trak o diyep na tulad ngayon, kaya ang nagsisipaglibot na pangkat ng mga Kastilang iyon ay nagsisipaglakad lamang.
          Nakaratig sila sa mga pook na naggugubat sa sari-saring halaman at sa kapatagang tinutubuan ng iba’t-ibang punongkahoy. Doon sila nakakita ng mga puno ng kape, kakaw, abokado, suba, dalandan, dayap at kalamansi. Tangi sa kagandahan ng kailikasang iyan, ang mga Kastilang iyon ay nakarating pa rin sa isang malinaw na batis na may kaaya-ayang ugos ng tubig. Kaya’t libang na libang sila sa magagandang tanawin na kanilang namamasdan hanggang sa makarating sila sa isang pook na napakadalang ang bahay.
          Sa kababaan ng paglalakbay, ang pulutong na mga Kastila yaon ay inabot ng matinding gutom. Sa gayon ay nagpatuloy pa sila sa paglalakad, sapagka’t hangad nilang makasumpong ng taong mahihingian nila ng kahit kaunting pagkain.
          Hindi naman natagalan at sa kakalakad nila ay nakarating sila sa isang pook na may ilang taong gumagawa ng batalan ng isang bahay. Hindi nalalaman ng mga Kastila na ang nagsigawa ng nasabing batalan ay pawing bataris lamang, na ang ibig sabihin ay walang upa ang nagsisigawang mga anluwage. Iyan ay isang kaugalian ng mga Pilipino sa diwa ng kusang pagtutulungan, na maipagmamalaki sa Dulong Silangan.
          Ang mga Kastila ay lumapit sa mga taong yaon, na sa palagay nila ay mababait at mapitagan. Hindi naming nagakabula ang kanilang palagay, sapagka’t nang mapansin ng mga iyon na sila ay pagod at gutom ay binigyan sila ng pagkain. Gayon na lamang ang kanilang pasasalamat at habang sila’y nagkakainan ay sila-sila na rin ang nag-uusap tungkol sa kagandahang loob ng mga Pilipino.
          Nang ang mga Kastila ay makakain, bago umalis at nagpaalam ay magalang na nagtanong ang pinakapuno nila sa mga tao:
-      “Como, se llama esta provincial?”
Bagama’t ang itinatanong ng punong Kastila ay kung ano ang pangalan
ng lalawigang iyon, sa dahilang ang tanong ay binigkas sa wikang kastila, ay hindi siya naunawaan ng mga tao. Ang akala naman ng punong anluwage ang itinatanong niyon ay kung ano ang kanilang ginagawa, kaya siya ang nangahas na sumagot:
-      Batalan, senyor.
-      Batalan? – ulit ng tanong ng pinunong Kastila.
Sabay-sabay na tumango ang kaharap na mga tao kaya’t ang akala ng
Pinuno ay iyon na ang ngalan ng lalawigan. Hanggang sa umalis ay inusal-usal ang salitang BATALAN.
          Nang dumating sila sa kanilang kuwartel, dahil sa kalituhan sa kauusal sa salitang “batalan” ang naibigay tuloy sa kanilang pinakamataas na puno ay ang katagang BATANGAN. At mula nga noon iyon na ang naging pangalan ng nasabing lalawigan, na kaya lamang napalitan ng BANTANGGAS ay sa dahilan sa ating salitang BATANGAN ay hindi mabigkas na mabuti ng mga Kastila.

     

The Legend of Holy Mountain-Mt.Banahaw

     Many legends have been told about Mount Banahaw. A popular legend says that the four Archangels made Mount Banahaw the Holy Land because of the trouble in the Middle East. Still another says that Juan Ynbin, a Chinese woodcutter who joined a revolt against forced labor was dismembered by the Spaniards and thrown to sea but miraculously came back to life. He said a beautiful woman placed him on a leaf that brought him back to Majayjay near Mount Banahaw. A third story says Agripino Lontoc, a famous mystic was given the names of the different holy places in Mount Banahaw by a Holy Voice. He went to the mountains to seek for amulets and to escape the Spaniards who thought he was a rebel. Every time he tried to leave Mount Banahaw, he would go blind which is why he stayed on and became one of its first hermits.

   The Myth of Wawa Dam in Montalban, Rizal

           The limestone walls of Wawa Dam is a majestic site. It has a quiet river, huge limestone rocks, caves, and tranquil scenery which depict a mystical scene. This magnificent view in Montalban, Rizal has its own local folklore about its existence.

 It starts with the story of Bernardo Carpio who grew up in San Mateo, Rizal and was part of a rebellion against the Spanish who feared his incredible strength. Employing the powers of a local engkantado (shaman), he was trapped in between two rocks through supernatural means. Calling for a parley, they lured him towards a cave in the mountains of Montalban. The lad fell for the trap. The engkantado used his agimat (talisman) and Bernardo Carpio was caught between two boulders which the shaman had caused to grind each other.

The legend says he was not killed, but was trapped between these two boulders. He was unable to escape because the talisman’s power was as great as his own strength. When Carpio’s co-conspirators arrived at the cave to rescue him, they were blocked from the cave by a series of cave-ins that killed several of the men. People soon surmised that whenever an earthquake happens, it is caused by Bernardo Carpio trying to free himself from the mountain.