Filipino Religious Beliefs Summary

Religious Beliefs.

• Ancient Filipinos believed in the immortality of the soul; the life after death.

• They believed in the existence of a number of gods whom they worship and made offerings according to rank

• Their rituals were based on deities.

• The head of the deities is called Bathalang Maykapal or the Creator.

• The deities under Bathalang Maykapal had their functions in relation to their beliefs. The god of agriculture is called Idinayale; the god of death is Sidapa; the god of rainbow is Balangaw, the god of war is Mandarangan; the god of fire is Agni; the god of the other world is Magwayen; the god of hell is Siginarugan; the god of love is Diyan Masalanta; and the goddess of harvest is Lalahon.

• They showed respect for

• Diseases were thought to be caused by the temper of the environmental spirits

• Filipinos also venerated the dead by keeping their memory alive by carving idols of stone, gold or ivory called likha or larawan; food, wine and other things were also shared with the dead

• They adored idols called anitos or diwatas to whom they made offerings

• priestesses such as the babaylan/ baylana or katalona acted as mediums to communicate with these spirits

Burial Customs and Practices

• the dead was placed in a wooden coffin and buried under the house complete with cloth, gold and other valuable things

• upon the death of the person, fires were made under the house and armed men acted as sentinels to guard the corpse from sorcerers

• sometimes, the relatives of the dead wore rattan bands around their arms, legs and necks and they abstained from eating meat and drinking wine

• the ancients distinguished mourning for a woman from that of a man – morotal (for women) and maglahi (for men)

• mourning for a dead chief was called laraw, and this was accompanied by certain prohibitions like engaging in petty quarrels, wars, carrying daggers with hilts in the normal position, singing in boats coming from the sea or river, and wearing loud