Myths About the Moon

Another folktale about the moon is the story of the great dragon called the Bakunawa. During ancient times, Filipinos believed that Bathala created seven moons to light up the sky. The Bakunawa, amazed by the moon's beauty, would rise from the ocean and swallow the moons whole, angering Bathala and causing them to become mortal enemies.

To keep the moons from completely being swallowed by the Bakunawa, ancient Filipinos would go out of their homes with pots and pans and make noise to scare the Bakunawa into spitting out the moon and back into the sky. Some of the people in the villages would play soothing melodies with their musical instruments, in hopes that the dragon would fall into a deep sleep. Thus, the brave men of the village hoped that while the dragon was hypnotized by the music, they would somehow slay the dragon.