Rizal, Andersen, Christmas trees

Someone asked me last week if Rizal ever wrote or made reference to ghost stories. He did hear some growing up in Calamba, but he documented some “mangkukulam” and “aswang” stories he heard while in exile in Dapitan in a short essay “The Cure of the Bewitched.” I should have written about that for Halloween last week but decided to write on Rizal introducing the Christmas tree to his family in 1886. On Oct. 14, 1886, Rizal dedicated a manuscript in Tagalog to his nephews and nieces stating that he had:

“… [N]o other thoughts except the wish for your betterment, all you fruits of my sisters. I took the effort to translate [from the German] to our sweet language the beloved tales of [Hans Christian] Andersen so that you may read what is made available to children in Europe. If you will care to read, write, and memorize these you will have something to narrate to your fellow children, this will make me happy and make my effort worthwhile.”

A pity that this translation and the charming illustrations and spot drawings on the margins of the manuscript are not well known since our educational system is focused on students being force-fed Rizal’s “Noli me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo.” I have often wondered, because Rizal’s translations of the Andersen tales were made at the time he was completing the “Noli” that they had a deeper purpose. To tide the children over with fairy tales that teach core values till they grow old enough to read and appreciate the “Noli” that he wrote for the adults.

I have not seen the original compilation of Hans Christian Andersen tales that Rizal owned and cannot speculate on the reason for choosing these five: “The Little Fir Tree” rendered as “Ang Puno ng Pino” dedicated to all his nephews and nieces for Christmas; “Thumbelina” rendered as “Si Gahinlalaki” dedicated to his nieces; “The Angel” rendered as “Ang Sugu” that he marked as “On the death of sibling,” perhaps in memory of his younger sister Concepcion (1862-1865); “The Little Match Girl” rendered as “Ang Batang Babaing Mai Dalang Sakafuego,” dedicated to his mother “Sa nunung-babai ng mga pamangkin sa aking ina”; last but not least, “The Ugly Duckling” rendered as “Ang Pangit na Sisiu ng Pato.”

It is significant that three of the five tales (“Fir Tree,” “Angel,” and “Little Match Girl”) have sad endings, one even alluding to death and the promise of an afterlife. “The Angel” is a rather scary story that is apt, not just for Halloween, but “undas” or All Souls’ Day too. Here the angel is not a guardian but someone who transports the souls of dead children to heaven. Come to think of it, all of the chosen tales deal with someone or something “small.” All these tales speak of transformation: the ugly duckling transforms into an elegant swan, and from being jeered by ducks he comes into his own by joining other swans and becoming one of the same breed. Thumbelina escapes attempts to marry her off to an insect, a toad, and a mouse until she finds her prince and lives happily ever after. Two of the tales are based on Rizal’s experiences and observations abroad. “Ang Puno ng Pino” comes with drawings of a Christmas tree, something that might not have been a familiar site in Calamba. On Nov. 11, 1886, he described these to his sister:

“On Christmas Eve they bring from the forest a pine tree and this tree is chosen because, besides being erect, it is the only tree that keeps its leaves during winter—I say it badly; not really leaves but a kind of needle. It is decorated with tinsel, paper, lights, dolls, candy, fruits, dainties, etc., and at night time, it is shown to the children (who should not see the preparation of it beforehand) and around this tree the family celebrates Christmas.”

We did not have a Christmas tree last year, things were bleak in 2020, but things might be more cheerful in 2021 and I may even buy an imported pine tree. After all, Rizal concluded in his letter on the Christmas tree that:

“Everything that can teach me something interests me, so that I can bring to the Philippines, the best that I can find here. There are here, some beautiful and good customs, like for example, those of Christmas, which it gives me pleasure to describe here for it is not found in Spain and you have not read about it in Spanish books.”

Comments are welcome at aocampo@ateneo.edu