Kan-Laon
Encyclopedia
Kan-Laon is the name of an ancient Visayan deity. During pre-Hispanic
times, the deity was worshiped by the natives as their Supreme Ruler. Kan-Laon means "One Who Is the Ruler Of Time".
Mt. Canlaon, situated on the island of Negros, is the largest active volcano in the Philippines
and highest mountain in the Visayas
region. The mountain is said to be where Laon made his presence to the people. In ancient times, native priests (babaylan
) would climb up the mountain and do rituals every good harvest season or when there was a special ceremony. They would also offer gifts as a sign of respect.
Kan-Laon has many counterparts all over the Philippine
archipelago. Some of the more popular are Bathala
of the Tagalog
s, Gugurang of the Bicolanos, and Kabunian of the Ilokano
s and Ifugao
s.
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
times, the deity was worshiped by the natives as their Supreme Ruler. Kan-Laon means "One Who Is the Ruler Of Time".
Mt. Canlaon, situated on the island of Negros, is the largest active volcano 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...
and highest mountain in the Visayas
Visayas
The Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...
region. The mountain is said to be where Laon made his presence to the people. In ancient times, native priests (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"...
) would climb up the mountain and do rituals every good harvest season or when there was a special ceremony. They would also offer gifts as a sign of respect.
Kan-Laon has many counterparts all over the Philippine
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...
archipelago. Some of the more popular are Bathala
Bathala
In ancient Tagalog Theology Bathala was the Supreme Being; the Omnipotent Creator of the universe. Antonio de Morga, among others, thought that Bathala meant an omen bird , but the author of the Boxer Codex was advised not to use it in this sense because they did not consider it God but only his...
of the Tagalog
Tagalog people
The Tagalog people are an ethnic group in the Philippines. The name Tagalog comes from either the native term tagá-ilog, meaning 'people living along the river', or another native term, tagá-alog, meaning 'people living along the ford', a ford being a shallow part of a river or stream where people,...
s, Gugurang of the Bicolanos, and Kabunian of the Ilokano
Ilocano people
The Ilocano or Ilokano people are the third largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group. Aside from being referred to as Ilocanos, from "i"-from, and "looc"-bay, they also refer to themselves as Samtoy, from the Ilocano phrase "sao mi ditoy", meaning 'our language here.' The word "Ilocano" came from...
s and Ifugao
Ifugao
Ifugao is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Covering a total land area of 262,820 hectares, the province of Ifugao is located in a mountainous region characterized by rugged terrain, river valleys, and massive forests...
s.