"May Day Eve" is a short story written by Filipino National Artist Nick Joaquin.

Written after World

War II, it became one of Joaquin's “signature stories” that became a classic[1] in Philippine literature
in English. Together with Joaquin's other stories like The Mass of St. Sylvester, Doña
Jeronima and Candido’s Apocalypse, May Day Eve utilized the theme of "magic realism" long before
the genre was made a trend in Latin American novels.[2] Published in 1947, it is a story originally
intended for adult readers,[3] but has later become a required and important reading material
for Filipino students.[4]

Summary:

In the late 1840’s, when it was already May Eve they said that the dancing should stop at 10
o’clock in the evening. Until the celebration was over, the guests started to decamp but the girls
just went to their bedroom while the boys just continued what they are doing and finished their
drink.

Then there was this woman named Anastasia, who used to tell stories about
witches and that made all the girls afraid. Anastasia instructed Agueda how
to do the ritual involving the mirror. As Agueda knew what she will do, she
went to the mirror in their sala and said “Mirror, Mirror, show to me him
whose woman I will be.” Unfortunately, she saw a devil. And it was a guy
named Don Badoy, he was in loved with Agueda.
Recently, it was their marriage; until they had a daughter. Agueda told the story to her daughter
and she warned her to never admire herself in the mirror or else she will see something
frightening. After that, Agueda started comparing the devil to Don Badoy then her stories
continued.

Don Badoy, has his grandson named Voltaire. Don Badoy caught his grandson doing the ritual in
the mirror. He also started telling his stories about him doing the ritual and said that he saw a
witch. Likely, he also warned this grandson to never do that again because he might see a witch.
His stories continued as he compared the witch to Agueda.

Review:

I found this story with a twist. I had a hard time realizing this story until I learned what this
really meant. I liked the style of the author, Nick Joaquin. He really made the story complicated
in a positive way that it will be admirable. Doubtless, his story would really catch the reader. I
appreciate him for killing my mind positively. I am hoping for more of his stories.
Reflection:

I really had a hard time to fathom this story. Maybe I spend an hour working on this.

At first, I am really confused on why does this couple described each other as worst. You know,
to name someone as a witch or a devil is really cruel and what more about this couple? But when
I go deep deep down, why do I have this feeling that they described each other deadly because
they were deadly in loved with each other?

What I have to emphasized here is that… this is a horror love story.

“And remembering how she had sobbed so piteously; remembering how she had bitten his hand
and fled and how he had sung aloud in the dark room and surprised his heart in the instant of
falling in love.”

This part of the story caught me because I really saw how deadly Don Badoy loved Agueda.

--

SUMMARY

The story started with a flashback. The ball had ended and the guest started leaving the house.
Old Anastasia sent the girls upstairs to sleep. At the girls’ room, old Anastasia started telling a
story telling that when you looked into a mirror and say the chanting spell, you will be able to
see the one you will marry. Agueda, very curious of the story, went down the hall silently. When
Agueda was in front of the mirror, she closed her eyes and chant the chanting spell “Mirror,
mirror, show to me whose woman I will be.” If it goes all right, her lover will appear above her
left shoulder, but if not, the devil will appear above her right shoulder.

Then, she heard a voice of a little child. It was asking her who appeared when she cast
the spell. Agueda said that it was a devil. It has a scar and a beard like his father, but
it’s very different. Also, the devil has a darker skin. Agueda told her child that if don’t
want to see the devil, she must stop the habit of looking in a mirror.

Don Badoy entered the room, saying that her charm doesn’t need a candle. Agueda got
angry and it leads to a talk fight. At last, Agueda ended up crying. Don Badoy begged
for forgiveness, but instead, she bit his knuckles and went upstairs. Don Badoy got
angry and decided to take revenge, but she had thought of how beautiful Agueda is and
that she fell in love with her.
Years had passed and Don Badoy was already sixty years old. He walks to the hall and
felt something. It was his son in front of the mirror. His schoolmates told him how he
would see his future wife. Then, Don Badoy remembered when he was about his age,
that he saw a witch, witch ate his heart and drank his blood.

Voltaire shared to his grandfather what his mother told him. Now that Agueda was dead,
She was free from the brutality of the world and now she could rest in peace.

Review

The story is quiet too long. But, too short to summarize. But it’s amazing how we
Filipino’s believed in superstitious beliefs. But, it’s kinda hard to understand this very
long story. My head hurts thinking about what’s happening in the story, whether if it is a
flash back or something. It’s like building a house without enough knowledge or
materials, it’s hard. I had asked so many questions inside my head.

Reflection

So many things needed to be answered inside my head, but still, I learned something
about this story. Magical Realism, it’s like the elements of the story had been mixed up,
magical world and the real world starts to blend. This kind of story is like a novel
already. It’s like you want you wanted to charge your phone but its wire is tangled up.
--

Character Description[edit]
The major characters in May Day Eve are Badoy, Agueda, Anastasia, Agueda's daughter, and
Badoy's Grandson.[5] Agueda and Badoy have different personalities. Agueda was described to be a
bold, liberated, and a non-conformist young woman who was “ahead of her time”. While Badoy was
characterized in the beginning as a promiscuous young manwho wanted to prove his machismo, he
realized that he was “deliriously in love” with Agueda.

Plot summary[edit]
As Don Badoy Montiya comes home to his old home at Intramuros, Manila late at night he finds his
grandson chanting an old spell in front of a mirror, memories of his youth came back. He recalled
how he fell in love with Agueda, a young woman who resisted his advances. Agueda learned that
she would be able to know her future husband by reciting an incantation in front of a mirror. As she
recited the words: “Mirror, mirror, show to me him whose woman I will be,” Agueda saw Badoy.
Badoy and Agueda got married. However, Don Badoy learned from his grandson that he was
described by Doña Agueda (through their daughter) as a "devil". In return, Don Badoy told his
grandson that every time he looks at the mirror, he only sees a "witch" (Agueda). Don Badoy
ponders on love that had dissipated.[5] The truth was revealed, Badoy and Agueda had a “bitter
marriage”, which began in the past, during one evening in the month of May in 1847. The tragedy of
the story is Badoy’s heart forgot how he loved Agueda in the past. They were not able to mend their
broken marriage because their love was a “raging passion and nothing more”.[6]
Nick Joaquin
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Nick Joaquín

Portrait of Joaquin

Born Nicomedes Joaquín y Márquez

May 4, 1917

Paco, Manila, Philippines

Died April 29, 2004 (aged 86)

San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines

Resting place Heroes' Cemetery

 Journalist
Occupation
 playwright

 novelist

Awards

National Artist of the Philippines

Nicomedes "Nick" Márquez Joaquín (May 4, 1917 – April 29, 2004) was a Filipino writer and
journalist best known for his short storiesand novels in the English language. He also wrote using
the pen name Quijano de Manila. Joaquín was conferred the rank and title of National Artist of the
Philippines for Literature. He has been considered one of the most important Filipino writers, along
with José Rizaland Claro M. Recto. Unlike Rizal and Recto, whose works were written in Spanish,
Joaquin's major works were written in English despite being a native Spanish speaker.
Before becoming one of the leading practitioners of Philippine literature in English, he was a
seminarian in Hong Kong – who later realized that he could better serve God and humanity by being
a writer. This is reflected in the content and style of his works, as he emphasizes the need to restore
national consciousness through important elements in Catholic Spanish Heritage. In his self-
confessed mission as a writer, he is a sort of "cultural apostle", whose purpose is to revive interest in
Philippine national life through literature – and provide the necessary drive and inspiration for a fuller
comprehension of their cultural background. His awareness of the significance of the past to the
present is part of a concerted effort to preserve the spiritual tradition and the orthodox faith of the
Catholic past – which he perceives as the only solution to our modern ills.[1][2]

=====

Walang Sugat
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Walang Sugat (literally, "no wound" or "unwounded")[1] is an 1898 Tagalog-language zarzuela (a
Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that includes music, singing, and poetry) written
by Filipino playwright Severino Reyes. The music for the original version of the play was written by
Filipino composer Fulgencio Tolentino.[2] Walang Sugat was written when the zarzuela became a
"potent means" of expressing Filipino nationalism during the Spanish Occupation of
the Philippines that followed three centuries of Spanish rule.[3]

Description[edit]
Set in the Philippine Revolution of 1896, Walang Sugat was first published in 1898, and first
performed in 1902 at the Teatro Libertad.[3] The play is about the injustices Filipinos suffered under
Spanish colonial rule,[2] including the oppression of Filipino prisoners by Spanish friars [4] for
expressing their patriotism.[1]
Although Walang Sugat is one of the major and more popular zarzuelas in the Philippines,[1] it was
one of the plays considered "too subversive" by the American colonial authorities, and its author
Reyes was imprisoned.[3] A typical and traditional Filipino sarsuwela[2] or sarswela,[4] it portrays the
dilemmas of domestic life through dialogue, song, and dance. In addition, the sarsuwela is laden
with romance, humour, and conflict.[2] Reyes, also known as the "Father of the Tagalog Zarzuela"
and under the nom de plume "Lola Basyang", wrote Walang Sugat as his "statement
against imperialism."[1]

Plot[edit]
Apart from the political themes, Walang Sugat is also a love story.[4] Towards the end of the
Philippine Revolution, Tenyong leaves Julia to become a member of the Katipunan. In his absence,
Julia is continuously pressured by her mother to marry the rich Miguel who is portrayed as an
American; she succumbs when she stopped receiving news from Tenyong. As Julia and Miguel are
being wed, Tenyong arrives to interrupt the service, and is dying of injuries sustained in combat.
Tenyong mentions his dying wish to Julia, but the play[2]features an "unexpected twist" that shows
how Tenyong is able to outwit the persons separating him from Julia, the love of his life .[1]

Modern productions[edit]
2009[edit]
Walang Sugat was staged by the Barasoain Kalinangan Foundation Inc. (BKFI) – a theater group
that received a GAWAD CCP para sa Sining (CCP Arts Award) from the Cultural Center of the
Philippines – from 11–13 February 2009 at the University of the Philippines' University Theater. It
was presented by BKFI during the UP Sarsuwela Festival 2009 nationwide celebration.[5]

2010[edit]
The Tanghalang Ateneo (Ateneo Theatre) company of Ateneo de Manila University also produced a
staging of Walang Sugat in 2010. Tanghalang Ateneo's version of Walang Sugatwas the university’s
first major zarzuela production, and was part of the university’s three-year-
long Sesquicentennial Celebrations. Ateneo's production of Walang Sugat was directed by Dr.
Ricardo Abad, while the music for the play was directed by Josefino Tolledo. The set and the
costumes were designed by National Artist and professor, Salvador Bernal.[6]

Film adaptation[edit]
Walang Sugat had been adapted into film twice, first in 1939 then in 1957.[7][8]
The 1939 film version was produced by Filippine Productions, and was directed by Enrique Herrera-
Dávila, and starred Filipino actors Rosa del Rosario and Leopoldo Salcedo.[7]
The 1957 version was produced by LVN Pictures, under the direction of Lamberto V. Avellana.
Among the Filipino actors who participated in the 1957 film adaptation included Rosa Aguirre, Miguel
Anzures, Tony Dantes, Joseph de Cordova, Oscar Keesee, Mario Montenegro, Charito Solis,
and José Vergara.[8]

Severino Reyes
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Severino Reyes

Born February 11, 1861

Santa Cruz, Manila, Captaincy General of the
Philippines

Died September 15, 1942 (aged 81)

 Pen name Lola Basyang

Occupation Writer

Language Tagalog, Spanish, English

Alma mater Colegio de San Juan de Letran, University of Santo

Tomas

Genre Plays

Notable Walang Sugat (literally "No Wounds", meaning "not

works
wounded", with the concept of being "unscathed")

Children Pedrito Reyes, Jose Reyes and Torcuato Reyes

Literature portal

Severino Reyes (February 11, 1861 – September 15, 1942) was a Filipino writer, playwright, and
director of plays. He used the pen name Lola Basyang.[1][2] He was nicknamed "Don Binoy".

Career[edit]
Reyes wrote 26 zarzuelas and 22 dramas in his career.[3] He is known as the "Father of Tagalog
Plays" and as the "Father of the Tagalog Zarzuela".[4]
Reyes helped found the Liwayway magazine in 1922, and is recognized for pioneering the Tagalog
literary renascence during his lifetime.[5] His stories under the pen name Lola Basyang were the
magazine's most widely read feature.[5]

===

Maria Makiling
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 Maria Makiling

Protector of Mt. Makiling

Gender Female

Region Philippines

Maria Makiling, in Philippine mythology, is a diwata (anito) or lambana (fairy) associated with Mount
Makiling in Laguna, Philippines. She is the most widely known diwata in Philippine mythology,[1] and
was venerated in pre-colonial Philippines as a goddess known as Dayang Masalanta or Dian
Masalanta who was invoked to stop deluge, storms and earthquakes.
Maria Makiling is the guardian spirit of the mountain, responsible for protecting its bounty and thus,
is also a benefactor for the townspeople who depend on the mountain's resources. In addition to
being a guardian of the mountain, some legends also identify Laguna de Bay — and the fish caught
from it — as part of her domain. She was sent by Bathala to aid the people of the area in their
everyday life.[2]
It is often said that Mount Makiling resembles the profile of a woman, said to be Maria herself. This
phenomenon is described as true from several different perspectives, so there is no single location
associated with this claim. The mountain's various peaks are said to be Maria's face and two
breasts, respectively, and her hair cascades downwards a gentle slope away from her body.[1]
Maria Makiling is a prominent example of the mountain-goddesses motiff in Philippine mythology,
other prominent examples being Maria Sinukuan of Pampanga's Mount Arayat and Maria
Cacao on Cebu's Mount Lantoy.

Etymology[edit]
Legends do not clarify whether this spirit was named after the mountain or the mountain was named
after her. The evolution of the name, however, presents some clues.[3]
"Maria" or "Dayang": "the lady"[edit]
The name "Mariang Makiling" is the Spanish-Tagalog contraction of "Maria ng Makiling"
(Maria of Makiling). The term is a hispanized evolution of an alternate name for the Diwata, "Dayang
Makiling" - "dayang" being an Austronesian word meaning "princess" or "noble lady".[3] Prior to the
conversion of the natives to Christianity, Maria Makiling was already known as Makiling, an anito
sent by Bathala in Mount Makiling to aid mankind in their daily tasks. The 'Maria' was added by the
Spanish in a bid to 'rebrand' her as Catholic.[4]
Professor Grace Odal of the University of the Philippines believes there is a significant link between
Maria Makiling and the mythical woman (Ba'i) for whom the town of Bay and the lake of Laguna de
Bay are named. When the lady of the lake also became associated with the nearby mountain, the
common description of her became that of the 'lady of the mountain'.[3]

Makiling: "crooked" or "bent"[edit]

As for the word "Makiling", it has been noted that the mountain rises from Laguna de Bay "to a
rugged top and breaks into irregular hills southward, thus 'leaning' or 'uneven.'" The Tagalog word
for 'leaning' or 'uneven' is "Makiling."[1] This corresponds with the common belief that the profile of the
mountain resembles that of a reclining woman, from certain angles.
A less often mentioned possible origin for the name of the mountain is that the name describes the
mountain as having plenty of the bamboo variety known as "kawayang kiling" (Bambusa vulgaris
Schrad.). By this etymology, the mountain would have been named after the bamboo, and the lady
named after the mountain.[5]

Appearance[edit]
Descriptions of Maria Makiling are fairly consistent. She is a breathtakingly beautiful[6] young woman
who never ages.[1] Lanuza describes her as having "light olive skin, long shining black hair, and
twinkling eyes."
It is said that the abundance and serenity of the enchanted mountain complements Maria's own
persona.[1]
She is also closely associated with the white mist that often surrounds the mountain. While in just a
few stories either her skin or hair is white, in most tales, it is her radiant clothing which makes people
who have seen her think that perhaps they just saw a wisp of cloud through the trees and mistook it
for Maria.[1]

The legend of Mariang Makiling

Author José Rizal; 1861-1896
:

Adapted by: Eva Maria Florentino; Carlos Valino, Jr

Publis [Quezon City] Alberto S. Florentino, 1966.

her: