When Siagon was eight, his parents sought a bride for him and selected a distant maiden. A messenger visited her family and mistook their nodding while eating periwinkles as approval. Relieved, Siagon’s family prepared lavish gifts for the wedding. However, when they arrived, the girl’s family was shocked, as they were unaware of the marriage plans.
Source
Philippine Folk Tales
compiled and annotated by
Mabel Cook Cole
A.C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1916
► Themes of the story
Family Dynamics: The narrative centers on Siagon’s parents arranging a marriage for their young son, highlighting familial roles and expectations.
Cunning and Deception: The misunderstanding arises from the messenger’s misinterpretation of the family’s nodding, leading to unintended consequences.
Moral Lessons: The tale imparts a lesson on the importance of clear communication and the potential pitfalls of assumptions.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about Philippines peoples
When Siagon was about eight years old his parents began looking for a girl who would make a suitable wife. At last when they had decided on a beautiful maiden, who lived some distance from them, they sent a man to her parents to ask if they would like Siagon for a son-in-law. Now when the man arrived at the girl’s house the people were all sitting on the floor eating periwinkle, and as they sucked the meat out of the shell, they nodded their heads. The man, looking in at the door, saw them nod, and he thought they were nodding at him. So he did not tell them his errand, but returned quickly to the boy’s parents and told them that all the people at the girl’s house were favorable to the union.
► Continue reading…
Siagon’s parents were very much pleased that their proposal had been so kindly received, and immediately prepared to go to the girl’s house to arrange for the wedding.
Finally all was ready and they started for her house, carrying with them as presents for her parents two carabao, two horses, two cows, four iron kettles, sixteen jars of basi, two blankets, and two little pigs.
The surprise of the girl’s people knew no bounds when they saw all this coming to their house, for they had not even thought of Siagon marrying their daughter.
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