The Bakunawa is one of the most intriguing creatures in Filipino folklore—a mighty serpent said to cause eclipses by trying to swallow the moon. This tale is rooted in ancient Philippine culture and has variations that have evolved across the islands over centuries.
The most well-known version of the Bakunawa goes like this...
According to precolonial Filipinos, Bathala (the Supreme Ruler and Creator of the Universe) created seven moons to illuminate every night of the week. People on earth enjoyed the beautiful bright night skies. But a long, twirling serpent known as the Bakunawa envied Bathala's creations. Each night, he would eat another moon, and on the 6th day, the people cried to Bathala to save their last moon!
Bathala planted bamboos on the last moon, casting dark shadows on it. He hoped this would make it harder for Bakunawa to eat it.
On the last moon's night, people feared losing their moon. They ran outside as Bakunawa tried to engulf it. Men, women, and children all banged pots and pans, singing, yelling, and making so much noise in hopes it would scare the giant serpent away.
And it did! The Bakunawa spit out the moon, leaving to his cavern, waiting for another chance to eat the moon.
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Though some depictions of the Bakunawa are of dragons, the original story describes a large serpent. It's possible that as cultures shared their stories, the term "dragon" was shared as a large mythical creature of the sky.