After a scorching but fun-filled day, highlighted mostly by roller coaster
rides via speedboat to far-flung islands in Tawi-tawi, we headed back to the
capital town of Bongao. At the Beachside Inn, a refreshing shower and an
ice-cold beer was what we exactly needed. We had the hotel's beachfront
restaurant all by ourselves and would have gladly called it a night if not for
a dinner invitation courtesy of the town mayor.
While waiting for our ride, we noticed a commotion from afar. “The monster
is eating the moon!”, shouted a hotel staff with his eyes fixed on the dark
night sky. Other hotel crew started running to the beach for a better view as
gun fires, sounds of clanging metals and other sorts of indistinguishable noise
interrupted what could have been the start of a relaxing night.
With all these commotion going on, I easily dismantled my fear having been
used to the peaceful environment of Tawi-Tawi. Looking up at the endless dome
of the night sky, we were bewildered to realize what was going on. The moon was
being gradually covered by a black, circular object until there was only total
darkness left. It was a lunar eclipse. The moon, indeed, had just been eaten by
a monster!
Under the dark, starless sky, I bathed in that blissful moment. Intense
cries from nearby houses further magnified the massive, uneasy feeling brought
about by the coinciding event of the Nispu celebration, a Muslim thanksgiving
for the souls. Infected by the locals' demeanor, we held our breath for an
eternity until a wax-like light appeared on the dark sky. It was crescent,
until it became full once again. With their faces beaming in gold, the locals
cheered endlessly. They believed that the noises had distracted the monster, called
Bakunawa in Tausug, from eating the moon.
Keeping my gaze on the moon, I wondered if, on other parts of the
archipelago, people also saw a delicious fruitcake and a starving monster when
they looked up the sky.
*Reposted from sometime in 2006
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