Partial eclipse stirs superstition, karaoke singing among Pinoys

The longest solar eclipse of the century might have only been partly seen in the Philippines, but it was enough to capture the fancy and even a burning desire for karaoke singing among some Filipinos. Across the country, most Filipinos got a Wednesday morning treat when the sun became partly obscured by the dark silhouette of the moon at 8:33 a.m. The Philippine Astronomical Geophysical and Astronomical Services (PAGASA) said the eclipse ended at 11:01 a.m. and was seen everywhere in the Philippines that was not shrouded by rain clouds. As early as 7 a.m. people began setting up telescopes and pinhole cameras to catch a glimpse of the partial eclipse. Scientists and enthusiasts trooped to the observatory in Quezon City to admire the celestial phenomenon. “It’s like having my first baby," said Henry So, one of the enthusiasts who witnessed the eclipse. “The event was very dramatic." A local radio station played Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart" to celebrate the event. Facebook users began updating their statuses to report about their experience, and to exchange cheesy jokes. “Saw the partial eclipse of the sun. Now time for some karaoke," said Bianca, referring to the 1980s hit. “Am I seeing right? Is almost 1/8th of the sun covered by the moon?" asked Carlo. “Is this the start of the ‘Solar Eclipse of the Heart'?" Driving away evil spirits Writer Ezra Zaragosa, 46, had his thoughts on the clothes hanging on the clothesline outside his house. In his hometown in Camotes Island in Cebu, people believe a monstrous creature named “Bakunawa" would devour the sun during an eclipse and unleash evil spirits unto the land. “The dark spirits might get into the clothes," he said from his Quezon City office. To ward off evil spirits, Cebuanos would make noise. “It’s like the New Year," Zaragosa said. In Bataan, government employee Eugenia Galvez, 40, said people would usually close their shops whenever there is a solar eclipse. “It’s bad omen for business," she said. If it’s a lunar eclipse, however, pregnant women are told to stay indoors, lest they give birth to an abnormal baby. Both Zaragosa and Galvez said they did not actually practice these beliefs during Wednesday’s global event. But some members of the Talaandig tribe, an indigenous group of around 10,000 scattered across Mindanao, gathered inside their homes in Davao to perform the ritual of “Pamuhat" to cast out evil spirits during an eclipse. Aduna Saway, a member of the tribe, said a chicken is killed during the ritual and offered to the spirits. After the offering, the chicken is cooked and fed to the family members. “Bawat part ng manok na kakainin mo ay may ibig sabihin. Halimbawa, head kapag tungkol sa leadership at paa para hindi ka mapagod hanapin ang kabutihan (Every part of the chicken to be eaten is a symbol for something. The head is for leadership, while the feet are meant to promote perseverance in searching for good)," she said. Saway said her aunt, a community spiritual leader in Sungko village in Lantapan town in Bukidnon, had to skip a family gathering in Davao City to perform a Pamuhat for the community. “We do this in our homes to keep the spirits away," Saway said. - Joseph Holandes Ubalde with Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV