Shaping culture with tales of creeps
By Pepin
Panay Island is known for its flourishing natural resources
and warm smiles of its people. But it is also a place surrounded with
hair-raising tales of supernatural occurrences that people often talk about
during Halloween season.
These tales were written in the past by the forefathers of
Panay who claimed to have a first-hand encounter with supernatural beings.
Their personal experiences were passed on from one generation to another with
some fine-tuning done by people who talked much about these.
Tikbalang, kapre, and tayho are only some of the legendary
characters in most of these stories that scared children over the years. They
lingered in people’s imagination and tamed noisy towns. These gruesome
creatures may be part of the legends, but the playful mind of people can free
them out of the book.
These stories, although fear-provoking and dreadful for
many, were known to shape the region and added more colors to the Panayanon
culture. People around the island have interpreted these stories into dances,
songs, and poems. Some towns even created festivals to share these narratives
in a creative way.
Today, the present generation continues to speak about these
creepy tales at class, at work, and even at bedtime; preserving a rich part of
culture that Panay will always have.
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