My boyfriend grew up in one of the remote barangays in Bula, one of the municipalities in Camarines Sur which is not only rich in water and land resources, but also in history and folklore, and in this article, I’m going to share three (3) captivating folk stories from Bicol.
As someone who was born and raised in a city where my view are tall buildings and my music are the unceasing beeps of jeepneys and tricycles, I learn to yearn for the kind of place that my partner experienced during his childhood years. With this fascination, I always ask him about the incredible stories that he has heard in his hometown.
“If there’s one person who can bring me back to the colorful folk stories of my townsmen, it would be my Papa Gurang who had vividly told me about the lore involving the fishermen in Bula,” Boo started to recall.
“I hope that by recalling his stories, I would also be brought back to the time that my Papa Gurang was still with us,” Boo added.
My boyfriend’s Granpa told the story in Bikol Rinconada, but for me to understand it, he had translated it to Bikol Naga.
Ludab Sa Ranow (One of the folk stories from Bicol)
Kan ako sadit pa, permi akong pigpapaisihan kan sakong ama na dae ako maghanap ning sira pag-bangui na lalo na pag sulosulo ako ta baka daa mapahilingan ako kan mga nagluludab na kalayo na igwa nin lalawgon. Sabi kan sakuyang tatay, an mga ludab daang ini iyo si mga tawo na nagadan na pero dae pa makahale ta sainda pang tigbabantayan an saindang mga daga. Sinda man nagpapahiling sa mga tawo tanganing mantakot, tanganing maghale sinda sa dagang saindang binabantayan. Minsan man daa, nagpapahiling sinda sa mga tawong kadugo kan mga tawong nagkua kan saindang mga daga. Arog kan dati kong kaibanan na napahilingan bangan nagdadakop nin sira.
“Humali ka igdi. Bako ini saimo!”
Iyo daa ini an pigparauro-utrong tigsabi saiya.
Tigpararapas niya kan saiyang sagwan si kalayo kaso natakot na man siya ta bigla ining nagdakol- dakulon na napano an buong ranow.
Kaya puon kaidto dae na siya nagsolosolo sa pagdakop nin sira. Dae naman ako nagsolo puon kaidto.
Translation: A flicker in the Lake
When I was a kid, I was always reminded by my father that I should not go out to fish alone because I might have an encounter with a group of balls of fire with angry faces. My father once told me that those flickers are people who are already dead, but they could not traverse through the spiritual world because they are still attending to their lands. They also appear when they want to scare people and leave the land that they are protecting. Though sometimes, they show themselves to people who came from a bloodline of those who have taken their lands. This is what happened to my companion who was ambushed by the flickers while fishing in Lake Bula.
“Go away from this place. This is not yours!”
This is what has been repeatedly yelled by the fire spirits.
My companion tried to swat the fires, but they had multiplied that they had covered the whole lake.
From then on, he had not gone fishing alone. I also had not gone alone in the lake since then.
Dakulang Sira Na Ataman Nin Diyosa (One of the folk stories from Bicol)
Dati, igwa paraisura na taga igdi man sana sa barangay mi (San Jose). Bangui na idto. Naghuhuna man lang ngani siya na dakul siyang madakop na sira kan banguing idto ta dikiton lang talaga si dakop kan mga panahon na idto. Dakulaon si bulan asin maliwanagon na maray sa dinadakupan nindang sira.
Kan niyaon na siya sa katahawan kan ranow, igwang biglang nagluksong sira hale sa irarom asin nagparaitok-itok sa saiya asin sa saiyang bangka. Pero abaanang pagkadakula daa kaidto asin an kaliskis intirong silber. Biyo daang nagkikintab. Tigparahiling man sana daa niya idtong dakulang sira tapos garu na dae mapation ta sigi daang rurulukso. Tapos nagirarom giraray si sira asin kan pagbutwa niya igwa na ning babaying nakasakay duman sa sira. Abaa na pati daang gayon kaidto.
Iyo na palan daa idto an pigtutubudan nindang diyosa. Makalihis an pirang minuto nagahle naman an dakulaon na sira asin an misteryosong babayi. Pero kaiba daa kan pagkawara kan duwa, sigi si pirikpitik kan mga saradit na sira. Dakulon daang maray.
Asin poon daa kaidto, nagdakol giraray si saindang dakop.
Translation: The Big Fish of the Water Nymph
Before, there was a fisherman who lives in San Jose. He told us that it was midnight, and the moon was so bright that it illuminates the whole lake when they decided to go fishing. He was very hopeful that he would have a lot of catch since it has been series of nights when they have not had any good results.
When he was in the middle of the lake, something had jumped from under the water and circled through his boat. It was so big with its shining silvery scales. He was mesmerized and he couldn’t do anything but stare at the big fish which keeps on jumping off the water like it was dancing through the moonlight. After a while, he said that the fish dove in, and when it resurfaced, a beautiful woman was sitting at its back.
The woman that he saw was the believed water nymph who was taking care of the lake. After some minutes, the giant fish had disappeared along with the water nymph. But after they were gone, many fish were swimming and jumping off the fishnet of my fellow fishermen.
Right after that, more fish were caught again in the Lake Bula.
Pagtao (One of the folk stories from Bicol)
Ku panahon, lang muya pa ku mga ginigibo namo para magrakop sa isura. Kaubin ko pa kadto. Mga sais anyos nagiiba na ako ki tatay para mangga-isura. A tanda ko alas dos pa sana nag-aagi na kami paiyan sadto ranow ta kaipuhan pa man mag-agi sa pirang kilometro bago kami makaabot sadto. Agko naman kami kan mga bitbit na kanon tapos panura na ibinutang namo sa barani tapos pag-abot sa pampang pinapaanod namo so barani sabay ko dayupot na pagsambitar namo ko pangadyion namo sa diyosa ko ranow.
“Akuon po ninyo ginagalang namong diyosa ining mga pagkaon sa atubangan mo karibay ka permi ninyong pagtao samo kin dakol na rakop.”
Amo yan so permi namong sinasambitar kada mararamrag ag bago kami magpuon ko pangga-isura namo. Isi talaga namo na a diyosa amo a nagtatao samo kin magayon na gusi sa pagiisura.
Translation: The Passage
A long time ago, fishing was a fun thing to do. I was too young when I started to become a fisherman. I was six when I began to join my father to fish in the lake. As I recall it, as early as 2:00 o’clock in the morning, we had to walk from our house to the lake since we live quite far from the lake. We always bring food which we put on a banana husk, then once we reached the lakeshore, we float it with our sincerest prayers for the water goddess.
“Accept, our revered goddess, these food in front of you in exchange for your constant blessing and abundance.”
This is what we always recite every morning before we sail and fish. We knew that the water goddess was the one who gives us abundant fish to catch.
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“Tapos ko nang guirumdumun an mga istorya kan sakuyang ‘Pa Gurang pero aram ko na dae igdi mapupundo an sakuyang pagsalingoy sa mga aldaw na ako saiyang iniistoryahan. Guiguirumdumun ko an saiyang lalawgon na pinakulubut na nin panahon asin kun pano niya butungun an nakaaging oras para mapaugma asin matawan nin kolor an mga banguing mapungaw asin madiklom
[I am done recalling the stories of my ‘Pa Gurang, but I know that this is not the end of my reminiscence of the days when he tells me stories about his childhood. I would always recall his face that was wrinkled by time and how he travels back in time just to make my sullen and dark nights fun and colorful]” my Boo dramatically said as a closing statement.
After hearing these stories from my boyfriend, I can personally say that folk narratives are #essential in our life. And as someone who was born and raised in a city, I would always be grateful for my boyfriend for sharing these wonderful stories with me.
Bicol Time
Bicol Times