You can get a glimpse of the richness of Filipino culture by studying Filipino riddles. They are ingenious and puzzling questions in which the answers are mostly fruits or traditional Filipino things. They are a form of poetry because they come in rhyme. They are a mirror of daily life in the Philippines before the Spanish came to colonize the country.
Take a look at this very popular Filipino riddle:
Heto na si Kaka
Bubuka-bukaka
In English, it means:
Here comes Kaka
With her legs opening and closing
The answer to the riddle is: a pair of scissors. This example shows us how inventive and imaginative Native Filipinos are when crafting their puzzles. This is a Filipino riddle that most Filipinos know.
Another example of a Filipino riddle is this riddle about a fruit that can be found in the Philippines:
Isang reynang maraming kills
Nasa gitna ang sword
The English translation is this:
A queen who has many eyes
with the swords that are in the middle of the eyes
The answer to the puzzle is pineapple. This riddle illustrates well how Filipino riddles are considered a form of poetry. Aside from the rhyme in the original Tagalog riddle (both lines end in / a /), another thing that makes it a poem is the use of pictures. In the puzzle about the pineapple, use the image of a queen who has many eyes. He also uses figurative language. The queen who has many eyes is compared to a pineapple.
Let’s look at that Filipino riddle for man’s best friend: the dog.
Mataas kung nakaupo
Mababa kung nakatayo.
In English, it means:
High when sitting
Short when standing up.
This riddle is also very popular with most Filipinos. Almost everyone knows the answer to the riddle. This riddle shows the ingenuity of the Filipinos. There are many other Filipino riddles and all of them are not just mind games but also reflect the richness of Filipino literature and culture.
