Childhood Years in

Calamba
Calamba, the
Hero’s Town

 Calamba was a hacienda town

which belong to the Dominican
Order.
 South looms Mount Makiling
 Beyond this mountain is the
province of Batangas
 East of the town is the Laguna
de Bay
 North is the distant Antipolo
Calamba, the
Hero’s Town

 Rizal loved Calamba with all his

heart and soul.
 15 years old student in Ateneo
de Manila
 Wrote a poem:
 “Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo
 (In Memory of My Town)
Earliest Childhood Memory

 His first memory in his infancy was his happy days in the family
garden when he was 3 years old.
 An aya (nurse maid) was employed to look after his comfort
because he was a frail. Sickly, and undersized child.
 Aya related to the Rizal children many stories about fairies, legends,
and folklore like aswang, the nuno, the tikbalang.
 Another childhood memory was the daily Angelus prayers.
 Another memory of his infancy was the walk in the town especially
when there was a moon.
The Hero’s
First Sorrow

 Of his sisters, Jose loved most

the little Concha
 Unfortunately, Concha died of
sickness in 1865 when she
was only three years old
 The death of little Concha
brought him his first sorrow in
life.
Devoted Son of
the Church
 At the age of 3, he began to
take part of in the family
prayers.
 When he was 5 years old. He
was able to read the Spanish
Family Bible
 He was so seriously devoted
that he was called Manong Jose
 One men he respected in
Calamba was Father Leoncio
Lopez, the town priest.
Pilgrimage to
Antipolo

 On June 6, 1868, Rizal and his

father left Calamba to go on a
pilgrimage to Antipolo in order to
fulfill his mother’s vow.
 His mother gave birth to Trinidad
 It was his first trip across Laguna
de Bay and his first Pilgrimage to
Antipolo
 After praying, he and his father
went to Manila to visit Saturnina
at La Concordia College
The Story of
the Moth

 The tragic fate of the young

moth which “died a martyr to
its illusions” left a deep impress
on Rizal’s mind.
 “to sacrifice one’s life for it”
meaning for an ideal, is
worthwhile”.
 Like the young moth, Rizal was
fated to die as a martyr for a
noble ideal.

Sacred Heart, carved by Rizal while he was
a student At the Ateneo
Artistic Talents
 At the age of 5, he began to
make sketches with his pencil
and to mould in clay and wax
objects.
 He had the soul of a genuine
artist
 He love to ride on a spirited
pony in lakeshore with his black
dog named Usman,
First Poem by Rizal

 At the age of 8, wrote his first poem “Sa Aking mga

Kababata”
 (To My Fellow Children)

 This poem reveals Rizal’s earliest nationalist

sentiments.
 The poem revolves about the Love of one’s language.
First Drama by Rizal

 Rizal wrote his first dramatic work which was Tagalog

comedy.
 It was staged in the Calamba festivals
 He is also a boy magician which he leaned various
tricks such as making a coin appear.
Influences on
the Hero’s
Boyhood
 1. Hereditary Influence
 From his Malayan ancestors
 From his Chinese ancestors
 From his Spanish ancestors
 From his father
 From his mother
Influences on
the Hero’s
Boyhood
 2. Environmental Influences
 Places, Associates, Event
 Beauties of Calamba

 His 3 uncles
 Tio Jose Alberto, artistic ability
 Tio Manuel, develop his body
wrestling
 Tio Gregorio, Book lover
Influences on the Hero’s Boyhood

 3. Aid of Divine Providence

 Father Leoncio Lopez, foster Rizal’s love for scholarship and

intellectual honesty.
 The sorrow in his family, the death of Concha in 1865 and the
imprisonment of his mother in 1871-1974
 A person may have everything in life-brains, wealth, and power, but
without the aid of divine providence, he cannot attain greatness in
the annals of the nation.