Anting-Anting The Secret Soul of Filipino
Photographs by Dino Dimar
The realm of the "Anting-Anting" is the Tagalog phrase for amulets and other items that are considered "charged," and it is an essential aspect of popular culture in the Philippines.
"Anting-Anting" are proof of how components from earlier belief systems were combined with Spanish colonial Christianity.
In the sixteenth century, Spain began to colonize the Philippines Archipelago, a country in South-East Asia where Catholicism is still widely practiced. However, the nation's strong Muslim and animist traditions have persisted throughout this protracted era of subjugation.The "Anting-Anting" are proof of how components from earlier belief systems were combined with Spanish colonial Christianity.
"Anting-Anting" pushes us to understand the true nature of popular spirituality in the Philippines, where an animist-Christian God at the centre of an intricate and unique cosmogony is conceptualised as a result of a visceral affinity to the natural forces.
"Anting-Anting" amulets, which are laden with verses, legends, and symbols, convey the obligation to revere the God of the Bible while also confining Him, like a genie inside a tunic, a medallion, or a handkerchief. This bond between the wearer and God bestows upon them a quality that is almost divine.
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