#Philippine folklore meaning skin

In some traditions, Maria is a well-loved and respected part of the local community for her kindness and help. One foolish villager finding the ginger becoming heavy threw it away rather than carry it home. Invariably, by the time they get home the ginger has turned to gold which they can then sell or exchange. However, when diagnosing the problem Maria recognizes the signs of malnutrition and poor diet rather than a disease or sickness and gives them ginger to take home.

Sometimes it is a mother with a sick child, or perhaps a husband may be seeking a cure for his sick wife. In these stories, she often lives in a village as one of the community and is called upon to help one of the community in some way. One of the best known stories about Maria Makiling is that she can transform ginger into gold which she does usually to help someone. Mount Makiling – By Ramon FVelasquez (Own work) [CC Mount Makiling – BY-SA 3.0 ( )%5D, via Wikimedia Commons Transforming Ginger into Gold If this happens the only thing the victim can do is leave the fruit in the forest and reverse all clothing which is seen as proof that they no longer carry the fruit of the forest with them. Offenders have been known to lose their way and this is believed to be caused by Maria changing the paths to take them into thick thorn bushes, or become beset by stinging insects she has sent or led them into. There is another tradition that says that although anyone can go into the forest to pick and eat fruits no fruit should be taken home because this may anger Maria.

There they would spend the rest of their days in happiness and marital bliss alone with Maria in her hut hidden on the mountain. It was believed Maria had lured them away to her home hidden somewhere in the mountain wilds to be her husband. One tells how that every now and then men who went into the forests on the mountain would not return. Some are not actual stories but more like superstitions which abound about her. Maria Makiling stories were part of the Philippines oral tradition long before they were written down. Tradition and Superstitions of Maria Makiling According to tradition she lives in a small hut sometimes situated in a village while other traditions say her hut is on the mountain and can only ever be found if she allows it.

#Philippine folklore meaning skin

In some traditions, her skin or hair is said to be white but in most stories, she wears radiant white clothes confuses people into believing the wisps of mist they saw through the trees on the mountain was Maria. Her personality mirrors the enchantment and serenity of the mountain environment she is found in and she is also associated with the mists that often appear on Mount Makiling. She is said to have long black shiny hair, bright sparkling eyes, and a light olive complexion. Tradition says that Maria Makiling is a beautiful young woman in the prime of life and never grows any older. In Philippine mythology, there are other similar supernatural entities who are also mountain goddesses or spirits such as Maria Sinukuan who are found on Mount Arayat, Pampanga and Maria Cacao of Mount Lantoy, Cebu. However, some people think that when seen from different locations Mount Makiling looks like the profile of a sleeping woman and this is said to be Maria. It is not known whether Maria Makiling was named after the mountain, or whether the mountain was named after her. Wherever she walks the sun shines and the birds sing and the flowers bloom and the animals frisk and play as she tidies up the forest after the storm. She walks through the forest healing the broken wings of butterflies and clearing away debris from the forest floor and streams. It is said that it is Maria who goes through the forest after a storm fixing broken branches and trees and repairing the nests of birds that have been damaged. She was seen as a benign spirit of nature that poor people could approach and ask for help whenever they needed it. She is also identified with the amount of fish caught in Laguna de Bay which is part of her realm and appears to be a spirit of abundance influencing the functioning of the natural world. Before the Philippines were colonized she was known as Dayang Masalanta or Dian Masalanta who could be called upon to stop or prevent natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, or storms. She is also known as Mariang Makiling and is considered to be a spirit or forest nymph known as a diwata or lambana in Philippine folklore. By kellepics – Pixabay – CC0 Creative Commons Maria MakilingĪs is often the case in many parts of the Philippines and around the world, mountains and volcanoes became associated with legends, myths and ancient traditions and Mount Makiling is strongly associated with a mythical female entity named Maria Makiling.