Animist Foundations
This belief system teaches that mountains, rivers, trees, and even rocks have spirits and life force.
What is Animism?
It is the practice where a group of people gather together to pray and remember their ancestors.
What is ancestral worship?
The blending or merging of different religious beliefs, such as animism and Catholicism, seen in the Philippines.
What is religious syncretism?
These ancestral spirits or guardians of nature were honored through prayers and offerings in Pre-colonial Philippines.
What is Anito?
It is the practice of the community to gather around and worship their ancestors through offering foods, performing traditional dances or music and sharing stories about their ancestors.
What is Rituals?
The specific syncretic blend in the Philippines of Roman Catholic practices with pre-existing indigenous beliefs and animistic elements.
What is Folk Catholicism?
Derived from the Sanskrit "deva" and "devata", this term refers to benevolent nature spirits such as maria Makiling or Maria Sinukuan.
What is Diwata?
It’s a practice to a group of people where they offer the blood of animals before the start of a ritual.
What is Padugo/ Bloodletting?
This Cebu festival celebrates the Sto. Niño by incorporating indigenous dance traditions that resemble the older worship of the anito spirits.
What is Sinulog Festival?
This spiritual specialist in Pre-colonial communities led rituals, healing ceremonies, and offerings for spirits and nature,
Who is Baybaylan?
It is the ritual washing performed by Muslim groups before entering the mosque or touching the Koran.
What is Wudhu?
Amulets or spells that combine Catholic imagery with indigenous notions of spiritual power, used in Filipino syncretic practices.
What is Anting-anting?
Locals perform these small ceremonies or prayers before entering forest, rivers, or mountains to ask permission or give thanks to the spirits believed to dwell there.
What is Rituals Offerings?
These places are considered sacred sites. trees or mountains often believed to be dwelling places of spirits and are commonly used for rituals.
What are natural sacred sites?
A fertility dance, which interceded with the saints for a spouse or offspring by dancing in respect to Saint Claire, Saint Anthony of Padua, and Saint Paschal Baylon.
What is Sayaw sa Obando?