History of Barrio CANAN
Malasiqui, Pangasinan
Prepared by: Mr. Jose C. Bulatao ( Head – Teacher) Canan, Elementary School
Source: Malasiqui in 300 years 1671 – 1971 compiled by Forteza and company. It is a book published for the celebration of Malasiqui’s “Third Centenial “. Published in Manaois Press. Dagupan City
The official name of the Barrio is Canan. This name has been used from the earliest time the barrio was organized. The word “canan” means a strip of level land extending between a mountain and a bank of a river. The western side of the barrio is a level land extending about two kilometers from the Agno river and in the west is the hilly part. In the north and east are very hilly. This level land is between the river and the mountain which is called Canan in the native dialect has given the name of the barrio.
This barrio was organized during the early part of the revolution in which we can not exactly tell the date. There were very few families who started the settlement of the barrio. Among them were the families of Sebastian Lamsen, Carlos Ita, Geronimo Macaraeg, Geronimo Mamaril, Maxima Hiteroza and Ildefonso Macaraeg.
The Lieutenant of the barrio has been made the chief executive of the barrio at the early part of the American occupation. Those who have held this position in succession were Pablo Macaraeg, Pedro Geslani, Raymundo Lamsen, Gervasio Frias, Ludovico Quenano and Jacinto Fortit….. There are no sitios included in this barrio. It has been organized in a certain year which cannot exactly remembered. It was sometime the later part of the Spanish regime.
During the world war II, the hilly part was improved when a better road was constructed between Malasiqui and Villasis. At this time the people have some to realize the importance of education. Some of the hardworking sons and daughters of the barrio were fortunate to finish short college courses. Few of them became educators and others became budding politicians. The person of Don Juan Macaraeg who became vice – mayor hails from Canan.
The barrio had not experienced any form of destruction before 1941. It was only during the late WORLD WAR II when several lives and properties were lost or destroyed. Six of the natives lost their (3 civilians and 3 soldiers). Most of the houses were looted by the Japanese soldiers hiding in the hills. They got almost everything they could get in the form of goods, clothing, jewelry and others…
FOLKWAYS:
Although the people are now conscious of the new trend of social life, they still observe old practices, customs and traditions. Some of them are observe at:
BIRTHS:
a. A husband should not dig or make a pit or hole in the ground
b. To facilitate the coming out of the child from the womb of the mother, the husband should go downstairs with the head first while the mother is delivering.
c. The employment of quak midwife is still professionally used.
AT BIRTH:
a. The common people usually let a big shot or professional to be the godfather. They feel proud to have prominent compadres.
b. The people of the community usually prepare a big feast during baptism. They even sacrifice mortgaging any piece of their property to finance a big occasion just to please visitors and neighbors around.
AT COUTSHIPS:
Most of the young women were forced to follow their parent’s will. However other parents are now becoming conscious of the son’s and daughter’s part in their marriage according to modern society.
IN MARRIAGE:
A feast lasting for one night and one day are still observed together with a dance. Near relatives are not favored to marry each other.
IN DEATHS:
a. When a person is about to die, the members of his family put on him his best clothes which will be buried with him.
b. It is still a practice to let some members of the family to pass over the body of the dead to overcome the fear.
c. Two occasions are observed or held after the death of the person. These are the LUMPOS and the BAKAS. They are often times held pompously causing some families to encounter debts.
IN BURIAL:
It is still a practice to have t he body of the dead carried on the shoulders of some men escorted by the musicians. Some families even result to sacrifice their children’s education just to have musicians and feed the people of the community.
DURING FESTIVALS:
In some places the rice festivals is still celebrated every year. It is called in the native dialect as “sukal”.
BELIEFS AND INTERPRETATIONS:
a. The people believe that during eclipse the sun and the moon fight each other.
b. They believed that earthquake is a sort of punishment that when God is angry with the people usually earthquake will occur in that place.
c. It is also a belief that sometimes thunder changes its form into an animal a usually sign of bursting. People who may see the animal may at once pour vinegar on it to prevent it fro bursting.
d. It is believed that a certain spirit goes around giving sickness to the people. Because this spirit is afraid of a cross some natives put a cross near their houses to prevent further spread of the disease.
e. It is believed that certain people called witches are able to make other people sick and cause their death. These witches are supposed to have cockroaches and rats. They also have an image of Jesus with holes on parts of his body. When the witch wants to put something on a person’s body he will just put that thing he wanted in the hole of any part of the image then the same thing will appear in the same part of the body of the person to be attached.
SUPERSTITIONS:
a. It is a bad practice to continue journey when a person meets a lizard.
b. It is a sign of bad luck to continue journey when a person sneezed at the start of the journey.
c. It is useless to go in a business trip especially in the collection of debts when you tumble down on the way to the destination.
RIDDLES AND PUZZLES:
a. It is a charcoal hanging
b. Two sugar cane leaves moving against each other
c. There, there but I can not see
d. I am afraid of one but not afraid of many
e. I always strike with a bolo but leaves no mark
f. I tear during the day but mend during the night
PROVERBS AND SAYINGS:
a. One reaps what he sows
b. God helps those who help themselves
c. In union there is strength
d. Dive where the bolo fell
e. Patience is bitter but its fruit is sweet
METHODS OF MEASURING TIME:
a. The most common is when the sun is exactly overheat it is twelve o’clock at noon
b. The people also determine time by the crows of the roosters during the night
c. They also used the groups of the stars like the Southern Cross and the big dipper to determine time during the night.
FOLKTALES:
There are no folktales which the barrio can claim its own. The old stories being told by the old folks are the stories by the old folks of the other barrios about princesses and other stories which originated from other places.
