#but come on MAN our country is rich with these myths and legends and folklore stuff y'all can do better than 'ooh ghost on tiktok dance'

[cathymee]

goofy-ahh ghosthunter trying to talk to spirits but then being like 'i don't wanna talk to you 😡' when he literally encounters one 💀

[camellaofficial]

Trese On Netflix Premiere: What It Means For Filipino Representation

There is currently a ridiculous amount of TV shows and movies being produced and released every year. Creators worldwide are going above and beyond in keeping us supplied with binge-able shows to watch. In fact, it is highly unlikely that we are ever going to run out of things to add to our never-ending watchlist. However, if you find yourself reaching for something to enjoy with friends, family, or on your lonesome, then look no further than the incredibly dark and mysterious Trese.

What Is With The Trese hype?

If you haven’t heard, Trese is a Philippine anime-inspired animated series based on the award-winning comic of the same name. It has recently premiered on Netflix—the massively popular online streaming service—last July 11th, 2021. Yes, you read that right. Get hyped! It’s Philippine anime! And, good news, it’s hit the ground running! It has already placed in the top 10 TV show rankings in 19 countries within its premiere week, ranking first in the Philippines and landing a spot in the top 10 lists of Netflix Canada and Netflix UAE.

Why You Should Watch Trese

Now you must be wondering about what makes Trese so special and worth the watch? Amongst many reasons, one that might be of interest to you is how entrenched it is in Filipino talent and creativity. From the leading crew members in production being Filipino to the voice casts of the English and Filipino dub being composed of Filipino actors and actresses, and, of course, to the source material being very, very Filipino.

A First For Philippine Folklore

There are a lot of popularized mythologies and pantheons in popular culture and media. English, Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythologies are well-known, but the same cannot be said for Philippine mythology. The rich and storied legends and beliefs of the Philippines are carry-overs from the country’s pre-colonial years that have persisted to today.

Even as they’re transformed and changed through the Philippines’ time in the Spanish occupation, many Filipinos still strongly hold on to and even swear by them. For example, It is not uncommon for people in need to go to local healers for their problems or to say “Tabi tabi po” whenever crossing mounds of dirt near trees.

In that sense, Trese’s Manila is achingly familiar and irrevocably transformed in the realistic and dark fantasy of its story. Here, the myths and stories that we all grew up hearing come to life in a modern, relevant, and very physical way.

Alexandra Trese, the protagonist of the series, deals with the supernatural underbelly of Manila as she deals with the occult cases that the local policemen are unable to handle. She ponies up against tikbalang, aswang, and even a nuno sa punso, just to name a few.

Where It Started

It started as a challenge to finish a script in 20 days. It was something asked for by illustrator KaJO Baldisimo of writer Budjette Tan as a sort of bid to draw something—anything at all. In an interview with GMA News Online, Budjette Tan related how the idea for all this began as something they could do other than advertising. It was, at the core of it, a bid to escape the reality of their jobs. Tan would then dig up an old idea he had and rework it into what we now know as the first issue of Trese.

The Story Of Trese at A Glance

What began as a gritty and dark action man would turn into what we now know as the paranormal investigator Alexandra Trese. This protagonist is tasked with keeping the peace between the human world and the creatures from Philippine folklore. Armed with a kris and a Chinese-style trench coat, she would go out into the night and solve the cases that she was dealt with. At her side protecting and battling with her, were the Kambal, sharply dressed twins with theater-inspired masks.

For her first-ever case, aptly named “At the Intersection of Balete and 13th street”, Alexandra Trese would deal with a murder in Balete Drive. That is taking on one of the famous urban legends of the White Lady in Balete Drive in real-life Manila. This set a precedent for the issues that followed. And for the first four volumes, the comic would follow a ‘case of the week’ format. Trese would receive a case, and she would work it through to its end.

Trese‘s Rise To Success

The duo would release the first issue independently in 2005. But, it soon began to spread via word of mouth, gaining enough traction to garner a cult following. The reception to the humble comic would spur the two to write enough cases to create the first volume, which was then picked up by a local publisher. Trese would gain local recognition with each volume being released, even getting nominations and awards. These include the National Book Award in Graphic Literature in 2010, Filipino Reader’s Choice Award for Comics/Graphic Novels in 2013, to name a few.

Following this, in 2018, they launched a successful Indiegogo campaign to get Trese an international release. This international version was an updated and redrawn version of Case 1. It included journal entries from the Book of Murders, a compiled version of the first three Trese cases. It had bonus material in the form of journal entries from Alexandra’s grandfather. The campaign was even backed and boosted by Neil Gaiman (“Sandman,” “Good Omens”), who was a self-admitted fan of the comic.

There currently are seven issues out of a projected 13 books—this amongst several side stories and crossovers with other projects and works.

Later in November of 2018, the same year as the successful Indiegogo campaign, Netflix announced that it would pick up this Philippine graphic novel as part of its inaugural content showcase of Netflix Asia. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The People Behind Trese

The journey to screen for Trese was a slow burn. It was, in fact, eight years in the making. Budjette Tan met with Tanya Yuson and Shanty Hartman of Jakarta and Singapore-based BASE Entertainment way back in 2009. Since then, they have been pitching the series to local and international studios. Of course, as we know, they finally found success with Netflix.

At the project’s helm was director Jay Oliva— a Filipino-American storyboard artist, film producer, and animated film director. He’s done work on “Justice League Dark,” “Wonder Woman,” and ”Legend of Korra,” among many others. Tanya Yuson also came on board as executive producer and scriptwriter.

The series would be composed of six episodes and would cover the first three volumes of the comic. This posed a unique challenge as those volumes were meant to be standalone cases. Only later would the comic reveal a more interconnected and serial story. In response to this, Budjette Tan and KaJO Baldisimo gave 100% creative freedom to the production team. 

Even with the go-ahead, however, the writing team knew they had to honor the original series. They did their best to preserve the spirit of the original. There are naturally many changes that need to happen in an adaptation of one medium to another. Still, it seems like the animated series will have things for old fans and newcomers alike.

Seeing as Trese is the first internationally-produced Philippine animated series, it generated a tremendous amount of hype. So much so that Trese was almost impossible to escape from in social media in the weeks going up to the show’s premiere.  

There was an undeniable sense of Pinoy pride that clutched fans and newcomers to the show when the trailer dropped. How could you not when the first scene of the trailer featured the MRT and the voice line: “Bigla na lang daw tumigil ang tren sa may bandang Tulay ng Guadalupe.”

Not only was there a deluge of fanart and conversation around it, but there was also a very creative and frankly insane marketing push that sent netizens into a tizzy. From vandalized billboards and performers in costumes to the Philippine Star and Business World with fake news articles detailing the first case in their first pages, to even ABS-CBN changing the logo on top of its Eugenio Lopez Jr. (ELJ) Communications building to that of its fictional counterpart in the show ‘ABC-ZNN.’

To cap it all off, Netflix even released a poem on Trese’s midnight premiere.

The Voices Of Trese

Trese would also make headlines for its “All-Star, All-Filipino” voice cast. The English dub would see some of the leading Filipino-American talents abroad with Shay Mitchell (YOU, Pretty Little Liars) as the titular Alexandra Trese. The cast includes Darren Criss (The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story), Jon Jon Briones (Ratched), Nicole Scherzinger (Moana), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place), Lou Diamond Phillips (La Bamba), and Dante Basco (Avatar: The Last Airbender).

While the Filipino dub would be led by Liza Soberano (My Ex and Whys, Alone/Together) as Alexandra Trese and joined by the professional voice talents of Simon dela Cruz, Apollo Abraham, Christopher Carlo Caling, Christian Velarde, and Eugene Adalia.

Interestingly enough, the English voice cast was allowed to keep their Filipino accents for the show. Not only that, there were even a bunch of phrases and chants that were kept in the original language. In an interview with CNN, Jay Oliva revealed that the actors were also relieved to be playing Filipinos and not someone of a different Asian Ethnicity.

All this does illustrate the care that went into the production of the series and also how that care also bleeds into good that ripples out. Representation matters, not only to those that watch it but also to those that work on it.

“Tabi-Tabi Po”

The rich mythology of the Philippines is at the forefront—brought into the international stage. This is a project made by Filipinos for Filipinos, and it is worth the watch. Everyone you know, from your OFW friends and family to your foreign and online friends, can watch and experience it (provided that they have access to Netflix and the show is available in their region) from the safety of their own home. 

At only six roughly half-hour long episodes, it is ridiculously easy watching and not anything to miss. Not to mention, there are already whispers of a probable second season going around, especially if the series’ ratings continue to do well.

It is difficult to overstate how fun it is to watch Trese. It might just be the exciting thought that the series is set in Manila or the thought that one could be fooled into trying to guess if a house and lot in the background is someplace you’ve seen before. Maybe it’s even just the giddiness that comes with the idea that your culture is exciting enough to be made stories of.

How wonderful it is to have a very distinctly Filipino piece of media—a dark fantasy series featuring our very own mythology—be produced and gain acclaim on an international scale. Hopefully, this would set a trail for more shows like this in the future.

See the original article here.

[tipsycad147]

Folklore & Old Wives Tales

Folklore and Old Wives Tales include traditional beliefs, customs, stories, songs and sayings. Human nature,  inanimate objects, magick, charms, luck and disease and death. Customs and rites such as marriage, childhood and adult life, festivals, warfare, hunting, farming, and fishing. Old myths, legends, folktales, ballads, songs, proverbs, nursery rhymes and riddles keep folklore passed along in cultures all over the world. Folklore comes from every culture on the planet, current and extinct.

Pagan and Wiccan magick are rooted in folklore. Studies of herbs, divination, tree magick, astrology, animal guides and weather magic. Any magick you look at will be full of old ideas which science is only recently looking at. Just by doing a little research you will find which old wives tales are having a second wind and are already available at a drug store near you. Divination is a belief custom based on folklore, early ideas of science. Every tradition from tarot, dowsing, crystal gazing, scrying to reading the bumps on a head can not be proven to work by science. Still, divination in all its varied forms is a very popular form of magick. Of course, some folklore is truly a fable or superstition. It will be up to your own explorations and common sense to dig deeper and decide which are fable and which are facts.

Portend – 1. To serve as an omen or a warning of; presage. 2. To indicate by prediction; forecast. ~If an apple bursts in the oven while baking, good news is on the way for the cook. ~Eggs that crack while boiling are a sign that visitors are expected. ~When rice forms a ring around the pot while cooking, the cook will become rich. ~Knocking over the sugar bowl is another sign of money (as sugar used to be expensive) Spilling pepper signifies a coming fight, while spilling salt is a well known sign of trouble. Throw a pinch of salt or pepper over the left shoulder to avoid the hex. ~Accidentally mixing up the salt and sugar in a recipe is a sweet sign, it predicts good news. ~Forgetting to add spice to a recipe while cooking signifies trouble ahead, and you must remedy this by adding the spices as soon as possible before you eat. ~Bubbles in your morning coffee predict money. If they are near the side of the cup you drink from the money will come soon, if on the far side, money will come slowly. ~If you must add a lot of water to boiling food, rain is on the way. If the coffee pot boils over more than often it’s also as sign for rain. ~Crossing knives while setting the dinner table fortells a long journey. ~A piece of bread falling from someone’s hand means a beggar will soon be knocking at your door (a friend that’s low on cash). ~Spilling water on the tablecloth signifies rain is on the way. ~If you drop a glass and it doesn’t break, this is proof you have friends that would go through fire for you. ~Silverware dropped at the table indicates the impending arrival of a visitor – fork represents a man, a spoon a woman. ~If you knock your chair over while getting up from the table, it’s a sign you lied while sitting there. ~A bird flying into your house for no apparent reason, is a sign of good luck and fortune for the owner- not so much for the bird! It may also be a sign of news from a distance. ~Snakes are good luck. One crawling up your doorsteps portends that someone from another country will enter your home. A snake in the garden brings good fortune. ~Wild animal tracks in the snow, completely encircling your house are another sign of good luck. ~Seeing a spider in the house is good luck, killing one brings bad luck. ~A spider or bee entering your home through an open window indicates news is on the way. ~Doors opening themselves signal the arrival of company. ~Cracks in the ceiling indicate bad weather is on the way. ~A falling picture predicts a journey for someone in the family. ~If a broom drops across a doorway, you will soon head off on a journey. (make sure to pick it up quickly and don’t step over it) If it falls anywhere else, unwelcome company is coming. ~Never take your broom with you when you move, always buy a new one or any bad luck you had will follow you. ~When your cupboard doors are left open, people are gossiping about you. .

An Omen…is a sign that signals a future event; many Omens are historically based upon ancient superstitions and cultural folklore.

Some omens are indicative of good fortune, while others are symbolic of impending hardship and doom. Bad Luck and Superstitions are mostly Christian based, as history will show some were & still are, very superstitious. Here are some Christian based Superstitions….

Unlucky #13 – Many Christians believed it started with witches’ covens having 12 members, making 13 only when the devil appeared at satanic ceremonies (although, prior to Christianity, 13 was considered a sacred number, representing the 13 moons of the year.) 13 was also the number at the Last Supper, when Judas betrayed Jesus. Breaking a Mirror – Our ancestors began this superstition, because they thought the image in a mirror, contained our actual soul. Thus, a broken mirror, represented the soul being pulled from your body and being trapped in all the shattered pieces. – The reason the bad luck lasted for seven years, was because the Romans believed that after seven years, the body was physically renewed and the soul could once again return whole. Cure: To break the spell of misfortune from a broken mirror, you must wait seven hours, (one for each year of bad luck), before picking up the broken pieces, and bury them outside, in the moonlight.

Walking Under Ladder – If you walk under a ladder you supposedly break a spiritual triangle (the Holy Trinity) that will leave you vulnerable to the devil.

Black Cats –Black cats have long been believed to be a supernatural omen, since the witch hunts of the middle ages, Christians associated a witches black cat to be connected to evil. Since then, it is considered bad luck if a black cat crosses your path.

Friday the 13th– It is claimed that Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden on a Friday, Noah’s flood started on a Friday and Christ was crucified on a Friday, so it is likely these days and numbers combined were given the signal of bad luck.

Spilling Salt -At one time salt was a rare commodity and thought to have magical powers. It has long been useful as a preservative, in medicine, and is also used in magic, ritual, and superstition to purify, bless things, and drive away evil. It was unfortunate to spill salt and one had to take a pinch of it and throw it over their left shoulder to undo any bad luck, and ward off the devil that may lurk behind.

I wanted to show the difference between “Wives Tales” and “Superstitions”. Witches are not “superstitious” as most superstitions are Christian, and based on bad luck, evil and devil & deathly outcomes. ~Aldora

http://kitchenwiccan.com/whats-brewing/superstitions/