CITY OF LUCENA, Quezon, Historical Data of Part 2

This happened many years ago when the Spaniards were still here.

One day, the Spaniards were looking for a river where they could take a bath.

One of them called to a man and asked where they could take a bath. The man answered, "Iyan," meaning there.

The Spaniard went back to his companions and told them to go to Iyam, pointing to a river they could see on their way. Since that time, the river has been called "Iyam."

Long ago, the rice plant was just a little useless grass. Its ears had no grains. One day, the good Mother of Mercy came down to earth to visit the people. She saw that many people were hungry and very much in need of food.

She felt sorry for them and said, "I must do something to help them."

She looked around and saw the little rice plant by the road. To it, she went and said, "Little plant, I shall make you help my poor people."

She opened her dress and showed her white bosom. With her hand, she pressed her right breast and squeezed out a few drops of milk, which she let fall into the empty ears of the rice plant. Then, she pressed her left breast, filling the other empty ears with the milk of life. When no more milk came out, she pressed both her breasts and blood came out.

All the ears of the rice plant were not filled. The Mother of Mercy said, "O plant, have plenty of grains and feed my hungry people." Her work done, she returned to Heaven.

The rice plant began to bear grains, some white, white as milk; and some red, as red as blood. From that rice plant came all the rice-bearing plants.

A big tall mountain in the middle of Luzon was not called Banahaw before. Even the towns nearby got no names.

In one of these towns lived a man and his wife named Lucban and Bayabas. They had only one son, Limbas. No one could equal him in strength, bravery and speed. In shooting, he never missed the wild pigs, the monkeys, and the wild birds. So, his fame was known far and near.

One day, his parents missed him. They were worried because he never came home. At last, after two days, he arrived with nice clothing and good food. They had not worn nice clothes as those and had not eaten food as good.

How he got those clothes and food? Here was his story:

One day, an old man who we shall call "Encantado" took him to a palace at the top of the mountain. There, the skins of the animals were white. There were big fields of cocoa plants, all laden with fruits. He was carried by a carriage drawn by two big white horses. He visited the old man every now and then. Every time he went home, he was given clothes and food. But he told him that these gifts would be useless if he forgot to kiss his parents' hands first before presenting the gifts upon arrival.

One day, in one of his visits, the old man gave him a big ball of gold. He was excited that he delivered first the gifts before kissing their hands. He said, "Here are our riches, the ball of gold."

To his great surprise, he shouted, "Ba! Anahaw! Ba! Anahaw!"" His parents thought that he was calling the mountain Banahaw. So, since that time, the mountain was named Banahaw.

Long ago, in the village of Seboon, there lived a beautiful girl named Juana. Her home was near an enchanted cave in which fairies were said to live.

One morning, as she was walking near the cave, she met a young man. He was a stranger, but he stopped and said, "Good morning. May I walk with you?"

As he walked along with Juana, he began to tell her many strange and wonderful things. She was so charmed and pleased with his manners and beautiful language that she soon forgot that they had ever been strangers. He had never felt that she was a stranger, for he had fallen in love with her at first sight.

The next morning, they met again. The young man told Juana that he was really a fairy, and a fairy prince, who had changed himself into a man.

Then, he told her of the land in which he lived, the land of make-believe. He talked of how wonderful it would be if he could take her there, but he said sadly: "You are not a fairy. No one can live in the land of make-believe except the fairies."

As he turned to live, he said: "Tonight, I shall see you for the last time."

That night, he came to say goodbye, but when it was time for him to leave, Juana felt that she could not let him go. She clung to his hands to hold him back. Even while she was holding them, the fairy prince vanished, leaving his hands in her grasp.

Juana was frightened and horrified. What would she do with the hands? I must hide them, she said.

So, she ran and buried them in a corner of the garden and put a small stone nearby to mark the place.

Early the next morning, she went to the garden to see if anything had happened to the buried hands.

Near the stone, she saw a small green plant pushing itself up through the soil. Juana watched it daily and treated it with the greatest of care. Soon, it grew into a tall plant with big, fan-like leaves. In a month's time, some strange-looking fruit appeared on it. The fruit grew in rows like clusters of fingers on a hand.

The strange fruit was the first bunch of bananas in the world.

At the foot of the mountain, there thrived a little village. It boasted of an uncommon golden bell with a mellow sound. When it rang, people would leave their work and go to the church smilingly and proudly.

This precious thing, however, did not last long, for people heard of a band of thieves who wanted to secure it for themselves. The priest and the sacristans buried it underground. When the thieves came, they could not find the bell. Wrathful, they hacked down all the churchmen and left the town.

Years passed, and the people mourned the disappearance of the bell. One day, a little plant grew near the church. When it grew big, it bore a rose fruit shaped like a bell. The villagers called it makopa.

Cabugwason, the most loved and respected of all the Malayan heroes, was honored for his wisdom and strength. He was handsome, courteous, and brave. Life to him was full of love.

One bright moonlit night, says the legend, Cabugwason walked along the narrow shores of Northeastern Mindanao. While he was looking at the wide Pacific Ocean, suddenly he saw in the far distance a bright object full of mystery. The object became clear and his eyes caught the full appearance of a beautiful maiden, gracefully walking on the surface of the silent water.

All at once, he fell in love with this woman. Proud of his strength, Cabugwason paddled to meet her. When his boat came nearer, the object sank immediately.

Cabugwason was made with the sudden disappearance of his lady love. He swam deep to find his treasured love, but there was no hope of seeing her. Tired of roaming under the deep blue water of the Pacific, he slept until at last he was tossed up in the sky by a whirling typhoon. Here, he was changed into a bright lonely star, shining and the early dawn of the day. By his wisdom and strength, Cabugwason was changed into a star, to herald the coming of a new day.

In the olden days, animals and friends were close friends. They could talk with one another without fear. The crocodiles and monkeys played together in the forest, and whenever there were any disputes or trouble between them, they always let people whom they contacted to settle the matter.

In a thick forest by the side of a great river, there lived an old crocodile by the name of Buwaya. Buwaya lived contentedly. Very often, his old friend Chonggo came to his house to chat with him day by day. Buwaya and Chonggo sat ona bench in front of Buwaya's house narrating each other's experiences and adventures.

Buwaya had a son whom he loved very much. Since his son was very intelligent, he called him Buwayito. Everything, Buwayito liked.

One day, Buwaya's house, which was the home of merriment in that thick forest, was turned into a very lonesome one. His beloved son Buwayito had fallen sick. Old Buwaya tried all the medicines he knew but Buwayito's sickness became worse than ever. He called all the best medicine men in the village, but no one was able to make Buwayito well. Buwaya was afraid he would lose his beloved son.

One day, he went to the oldest crocodile in the forest. This crocodile was the best doctor he knew. This doctor told him that Buwayito would not get well unless he was able to eat the liver of a monkey. The monkeys were his best friends. What will become of their friendship if he killed one of Chonggo's tribe? But... He had to do it.

He loved Buwayito more than anyone. So, directly he went to Chonggo's house and decided to kill Chonggo himself.

Upon reaching Chonggo's house, old Buwaya said, "Friend Chonggo, please accompany me to the other side of the river so that

I can get some medicine for Buwayito."

10. Never laugh when planting corn. The corn you will harvest will have few grains.
11. Do not wear thick clothes when planting corn so the skin of the fruit will not be thick.
12. Harvest the banana at noon.
13. It is a bad omen meeting a black cat.
14. Meeting a snake is a sign of good luck.
15. If someone has swallowed a fish bone which gets stuck in the throat, get a cat and rub its paw in the throat. This is supposed to push down the fish bone.
16. If a person suffering from asthma, the sufferer must catch a house lizard, toast it over charcoal, put the charred lizard in a glass of water, and stir the water. The sufferer drinks the water.
17. Water collected overnight from a banana plant will cure sore eyes.
18. It is believed that boils are caused by sitting on a pillow or cushions. The cure is as follows: A half coconut shell is buried under the stairway, with the "eyes" of the shell showing above the ground.

Historical Data of the City of Lucena, Province of Quezon, online at the National Library of the Philippines Digital Collections.