STORY ABOUT "SUN AND MOON" BY:BAGOBO TRIBES

The Bagobo people of the Philippines have a creation story about the sun and moon. According to their legend, in the beginning, there was only darkness and the great goddess, Mebuyan, who lived in the sky. One day, she decided to create light to illuminate the world, so she gave birth to two children: Apolaki, the god of the sun, and Mayari, the goddess of the moon.

Apolaki was born first, and he was the stronger of the two siblings. He was full of light and energy, and he could shine brightly, even in the darkest of places. Mayari, on the other hand, was born weaker, and she was pale and dim, compared to her brother. However, Mebuyan loved both of her children equally and gave them each their own responsibilities.

Apolaki was tasked with ruling the day, while Mayari was in charge of the night. Apolaki was happy with his role, but Mayari was jealous of her brother's strength and power. She wanted to be as bright and as powerful as Apolaki, so she asked her mother for a way to increase her strength.

Mebuyan understood Mayari's desire, so she gave her daughter a necklace made of gold and precious stones. She told Mayari to wear the necklace every night and to bathe in the river at the foot of the mountain every morning. Mayari did as her mother instructed, and over time, she became brighter and more powerful. She was still not as strong as Apolaki, but she was happy with her progress.

One day, Apolaki and Mayari had an argument over who was more powerful. Apolaki boasted that he was the brightest and the strongest, while Mayari claimed that she was catching up to him. The argument grew more heated, and they decided to settle it with a race around the world.

Apolaki started the race first, and he moved quickly, leaving a trail of light behind him. Mayari followed, and though she was slower, she was determined to catch up to her brother. As they ran, they created day and night, and their light illuminated the world.

Finally, after many days of running, Mayari caught up to Apolaki. They were both exhausted, but they were also happy to have completed the race. Mebuyan, who had been watching the race from the sky, was proud of her children. She decided to make a compromise and declared that Apolaki would rule the day, and Mayari would rule the night. From then on, they would share the responsibility of lighting up the world, and they would do it together.