Anito is the collective name for Pre-Hispanic

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 belief system that exists in the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

. It is also the name for spirits, which may include deceased ancestors and nature

Nature

Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...

-spirits or diwata

Diwata

In Philippine mythology, a Diwata , also known as Encantada, is a mythological figure similar to fairies or nymphs. They are nature spirits and live one with mother earth...

s. Native Filipinos usually keep statues to represent these spirits and to ask guidance and even magical protection. Much of the tradition has been Christianized and incorporated into Folk Catholicism

Folk Catholicism

Folk Catholicism is any of various varieties of Catholicism as actually practiced in Catholic communities around the world. Practices that are identified by outside observers as "folk Catholicism" vary from place to place, and often vary as well from official Roman Catholic Church doctrine.Some...

.

Filipino Folk Healers

During the Pre-Hispanic periods, the function of an Albularyo

Albularyo

Albularyo , sometimes spelled albulario, is a Tagalog term for a folk healer or medicine men.-Etymology and Alternative Names:The word arbularyo derives from herbolario, a Spanish word meaning herbalist....

, or Folk Healer, was part of the functions of a Babaylan

Babaylan

Babaylan is a Visayan term identifying an indigenous Filipino religious leader, who functions as a healer, a shaman, a seer and a community "miracle-worker"...

, a shamanic spiritual leader of the community. Albularyo is also synonymous with Mananambal

Mananambal

The Mananambal is a Filipino practitioner of traditional medicine; a medicine man who is also capable of performing sorcery. The mananambal treats both natural and supernatural maladies.-Etymology:...

, another term for Folk Healer.

On the onset of the Colonial era, the suppression of the Babaylans and the native Filipino religion gave rise to the Albularyo. By exchanging the native prayers and spells with Catholic oraciones and Christian prayers, the Albularyo was able to synchronize the ancient mode of healing with the new religion.

Albularyos will use herbs, alum

Alum

Alum is both a specific chemical compound and a class of chemical compounds. The specific compound is the hydrated potassium aluminium sulfate with the formula KAl2.12H2O. The wider class of compounds known as alums have the related empirical formula, AB2.12H2O.-Chemical properties:Alums are...

, coconut oil, and other substances in their healing practices. In many cases, albularyos will also employ various prayers, chants and "supernatural" cures—especially for cases involving supernatural causes.

As time progressed, the Albularyo became a more prominent figure in most rural areas in the Philippines. Lacking access to scientific medical practices, rural Filipinos trusted the Albularyos to rid them of common (and sometimes believed to be supernatural) sicknesses and diseases.

However, the Albularyo's role was slowly shadowed with the rise of modern medical facilities. Urbanization gave the masses access to more scientific treatments, exchanging the chants and herbs of the Albularyos with the newer technologies offered by the medical field. Still, Albularyos flourish in many rural areas in the Philippines where medical facilities are still expensive and sometimes inaccessible.

Rituals

Some of the rituals observed by Filipino Folk Healers include:

• Pangalap - the aforementioned yearly search for concoction ingredients
• Halad - ritual offering of food and drink to honor the spirits of the dead
• Palínà - ritual fumigation; called tu-ob in the islands of Panay
  Panay
  Panay may refer to*Panay Island*Panay *Panay, Capiz*Panay River*Panay Gulf* USS Panay *Panay incident...
  
   and Negros
• Pangadlip - the chopping or slicing of pangalap ingredients
• Pagpagong - burning or reducing the ingredients into charcoal or ashes
• Making of Minasa - concoctions made from the pangalap ingredients
• Rubbing with Lana - medicinal oil concocted from coconut
  Coconut
  The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
  
  

See also

• Ancestor Worship
• Barang
• Diwata
  Diwata
  In Philippine mythology, a Diwata , also known as Encantada, is a mythological figure similar to fairies or nymphs. They are nature spirits and live one with mother earth...
  
  
• Folk Christianity
• Folk Medicine
  Traditional medicine
  Traditional medicine comprises unscientific knowledge systems that developed over generations within various societies before the era of modern medicine...
  
  
• Gabâ
  Gabâ
  Gabâ or gabaa, for the people in many parts of the Philippines), is the concept of a non-human and non-divine, imminent retribution. A sort of negative karma, it is generally seen as an evil effect on a person because of their wrongdoings or transgressions...
  
  
• Kulam
  Kulam
  Kulam is a Tagalog word meaning "hex or "curse"." Often, the same word is used as a term for witchcraft.-Usage and Related Terms:Kulam is actually a Tagalog noun which literally means bewitchment or hex....
  
  
• Pagtatawas
  Pagtatawas
  "Pagtatawas" is a ritual in psycho-medicine in Filipino Psychology where an affliction or psychological disorder is diagnosed by interpreting the form produced in a basin of water as heated alum or molten wax drop from a lighted candle.Earlier and in some rural areas in the Philippines, alum...
  
  
• Philippine Mythology
  Philippine mythology
  Philippine mythology include a collection of tales and superstitions about magical creatures and entities. Some Filipinos, even though heavily westernized and Christianized, still believe on these tales...
  
  

External links

• Filipino Folk Tales
• Filipino Folk Medicine - An early 18th century collection of Filipino Folk Medicine.