The Philippines – land of ghosts

Halloween is a corruption of the Christian feast of All Hallows Day, dedicated to the saints (hallows) and our dear departed kin. It has been turned into a celebration of horror and is associated with the macabre and the supernatural.

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The Philippines has its own supernatural folklore with its pantheon of characters. There's the "kapre," a giant cigar-smoking ogre; the "aswang," a shape-shifting ghoul that preys on human blood; the "manananggal," which can separate its upper and lower body and sprout wings on its shoulders, looking for pregnant women to devour their unborn babies; the "tiyanak," that disguises as a baby and attacks when picked up.

The "tikbalang" is a horse-headed monster that likes to play pranks on travelers, misleading them until they get lost. The "diwata/engkanto" are similar to fairies of Western folklore, who are guardians of the forests, mountains lakes, rivers and seas, but can benevolent or malevolent depending on how humans treat nature.

The "multo," or ghosts, are spirits of people who remain on earth and haunt living humans due to unfinished business or their tragic deaths,just like the "white lady" of Balete Drive, which apparition is most feared by nighttime travelers on that stretch of road.

Indeed, we have no shortage of supernatural beings in the country. But now, all these supernaturals appear insignificant in light of the horrors we are experiencing at the hands of fleshand-blood demons, ghouls, goblins and shape-shifters.