VISAYAN RELIGION

Visayan religion includes worshipping of the spirits of nature, gods of localities or activities, and their own ancestors. The mediums are either male or female and they contact spirits in a state of trance to determine the cause and the cure for a certain illness. Sacrifices are also evident such as sacrifices of food, live fowl, hogs, and humans where the spirits, deities, and ancestors were invoked at feasts and these were offered to them.
Natural forces like celestial bodies and flowing waters were personified for reverence or worship especially the sun, the moon, and the river. Animals like crocodiles were held in special veneration because they were dangerous and they were even addressed as grandfather. Plants were given offerings in recognition of its sinister powers, and dangerous cliffs or strange rock formations were also invoked for safe passages.
Visayans also believed in supernatural beings that cannot be seen by humans, but were surrounding them. These are diwatas and ancestor spirits. They also believe in many gods and goddesses, which could protect or harm them depending on the sacrifices they made for that particular god or goddess.
The Visayans also believed that there is an underworld, where demons and devils lurk. They believe that these are invisible creatures who sometimes permit themselves to be seen in their true shapes or in the form of human beings.
They also believe in omens and divinations. They believed that there are supernatural forces surrounding the natural world with signs and portents that it would be wrong to ignore. These were indicated by the behavior of certain animals or could be elicited by omen-seeking ceremonies conducted by babaylan or other diviners. These also include fortune-telling, magic, and sorcery.
Visayans also have their own way of worshipping. They have anitos--- sacrifices or formal acts of worship conducted by a babaylan. They also have paganitos--- ceremonies in which a medium established audible communications with spirits. Babaylans were what they call the shamans or spirit mediums. Their worship took place in several private homes or fields, gravesites or sacred spots outside the community, or along beaches or streams. They also have small idols that they kept inside their homes, which served as the guardians of the family.
Visayans also have divine origin myths, which explain how the first man and woman came to be.
Visayans also have their death, burial, and mourning rituals where they offer and fast for their loved ones who had died.
Lastly, Visayans believed that the souls of their dead were delivered to the land of the dead, Saad or Sulad, by a boat.
Pre-Hispanic Visayan religion is actually almost the same as our current religion like Christianity. The similarities are our religions both show that we are created by a certain Supreme Being. Another, we both have images at home; they have their idols, while we have our saints. Thy have mediums; their babaylans while we have our priests and nuns. They have ceremonies and worship, while we also have them during Sundays at our churches. We also both believed that there is an afterlife and there is also a land of the demons. They have their diwataas, while we have our saints, angels, and of course God, Jesus, and Mary. Even though it is against the bible to believe in omens and divination, we still can’t avoid believing in them.
The only difference between the Pre-Hispanic religion and our current religion is perhaps the way in which we represent these rituals. We have our own ways of offerings for example. We also have our own ways of sacrifices and celebrations. We have our own ways of burying the dead. In other words, we have different ways of doing things in our religion, but the purposes are the same. We do these rituals for the safeties of our families, for respect, and because of our beliefs that if we do them, certain blessings will come our way or certain things will happen in our lives. We do not do them just for the fun of it, but we do them because we believe what these can do for us. And of course, these have been a practice that our ancestors have done and we are just inheriting them.