Safety tips for Halloween: What would you do when faced with the supernatural?

Published October 31, 2014 4:35pm

For most, science takes a backseat to fantasy when Halloween comes around each year. If only for a night, people are able to look at the supernatural and the unknown with a sense of amused wonder.

But what if we really did live in a world where the supernatural are a part of everyone's day-to-day lives? Would we need to issue regular updates and how-to tips on how to deal with them? And what might such public updates look like?

In a spirit of pure fun, here's a speculative fictional look at what it might be like if the paranormal were just... well, normal:

What to do when you encounter a Kapre

A Kapre is a tall, tobacco-smoking creature that lives in certain trees like the Balete, Santol and Narra. All sightings of the Kapre have happened at night and no one has yet to report spotting a Kapre leaving his tree. Therefore chance encounters with this creature are reduced by simply avoiding areas lined with Kapre-preferred trees. Very few accounts also mention a violent encounter with this tree giant and so it is assumed that it is, in most cases, a peace-loving creature. The few instances when a Kapre becomes violent are always related to when their tree is defamed, cut or burned.

Safety tips:

Avoid areas with Kapre-preferred trees at night. Only have Ipil-Ipil trees or any other frail tree species planted in your backyard.
Watch out for tobacco ash underneath trees. And if you see these, just don’t look up and continue walking.
Do not pee on, cut or burn any tree. Don’t even pee on a cement wall just to err on the safe side.

What to do when you encounter a Tikbalang

A Tikbalang is a large half-man, half-horse creature that primarily lives in forested areas. Few sightings place the horse-faced creature in urban areas except for the following areas: Forbes Park, UP Diliman and the Malate area. Not to be confused with the peace-loving Kapre (this one has a more human face), the Tikbalang typically wields an axe for purposes you wouldn’t want to find out during a chance encounter. It likes to play with its prey by confusing travellers of which path to take to get through the forest. Once the travellers realize they are lost, the Tikbalang then snatches one of them (Note: Not all are taken!), usually a pre-adult female in the group.

Safety tips:

Bring a flashlight to be able to differentiate the horse-faced Tikbalang from other creatures.
When attacked, try to pluck a golden strand from its mane. No one has yet to guarantee that this works but such will make for a great souvenir.
Remember to reverse your shirt when you start getting lost in the woods. Try the front-back reverse, inside-out, and the inside-out front-back reverse as it is unclear in the literature which works when lost (and which one just makes you look silly).
Always have a teenager in the group when hiking through the mountains.

What to do when you encounter a Duwende

Not all small, dopey-eyed, pointy-eared creatures are duwendes; some humans may easily be mistaken as one. And even if they turn out to be a duwende - these can be elves, dwarves, goblins, or most common in the country – the Nuno sa Punso. An old man living in an anthill, the Nuno is easily disturbed and annoyed. Once angered, it can cast a spell on a person which can range from light punishments such as the swelling of limbs or having an overgrowth of hair on one’s back to something more serious such as urinating blood or some black liquid (Caution: The last one is according to Wikipedia). There is no warning provided when you have angered a Nuno so make sure to follow the safety tips below.

Safety tips:

When passing by an anthill, always say, “Tabi, tabi po…”. Heck, just recite these three words every time you walk through an unfamiliar place.
In a chance encounter, do not engage the Nuno in a conversation. They are not known talkers which might lead to enraging them just the same.
When you experience na-Nuno symptoms, check first with your doctor as it might just be an infection treatable with antibiotics. If all else fails, you know where to apologize.

— CP David / TJD, GMA News

Tags: undas2014, halloween, kapre, tikbalang, duwende