sun and moon

The Bagobo people of Mindanao, Philippines have a creation story that explains the origins of the sun and the moon.

According to their myth, in the beginning, the world was covered in darkness. The goddess of the underworld, Sidapa, had a daughter named Bulan. Bulan was beautiful and bright, and she wanted to shine her light on the world above.

One day, Bulan asked her mother to allow her to visit the world above. Sidapa warned her daughter that the world above was not a safe place, but Bulan insisted. So, Sidapa gave her daughter a necklace made of gold, and instructed her to wear it at all times.

Bulan emerged from the underworld and started to shine her light on the world above. Her light was so bright that the people on earth could see everything clearly for the first time. The people were amazed by her beauty and began to worship her.

As time passed, Bulan noticed that she was not the only light in the sky. There was another light that shone brightly, and it was called Apolaki. Apolaki was the god of the sun, and he was jealous of Bulan's beauty and popularity.

One day, Apolaki challenged Bulan to a contest. He said that whoever could shine the brightest would be the ruler of the sky. Bulan accepted the challenge, and the contest began.

As Bulan and Apolaki shone their brightest, their lights became so intense that they both started to melt. The people on earth were frightened, and they cried out to Bulan to stop shining so brightly. Bulan heard their cries and realized that she had to stop the contest.

Bulan took off her necklace made of gold and threw it at Apolaki. The necklace hit Apolaki in the face, blinding him. From that day forward, Apolaki could only shine during the day, while Bulan could only shine at night.

And that is how the sun and the moon came to be in the sky, according to the Bagobo myth.