“Paaway Labog-Labog”
“Maybug Fight”
May is officially summer in the Philippines and in Ilonggo-land it’s labog-labog (maybug)- time for kids four to four-ty-katigulang ( a play on the word “fuerte’ which means very in Ilonggo, and “katigulang” which means old).
In May the labog-labogs would descend on the land in droves. They would nestle on the trees and come morning, the children- mostly boys-- would come out to shake every tree they can put their hands on and the beetles would come plopping down on the ground, several at a time, like fruits falling. The kids would collect them and pick the most formidable looking one for the labog-labog match that’s sure to follow.
The labog-labog fight is a wrestling match where the bugs are faced head to head. A piece of broomstick or “bukog” is broken and attached to the bug like a yoke right where the wings connect to the head and the beetles would attack each other using this “weapon.” When the may bugs are on respite, they are placed inside old tin cans punched with air holes and stuffed with fresh leaves, ready to be released for the next fight or simply for their owners’ viewing pleasure. The maybugs are a sight by themselves with their shiny, hard brown shells and gossamer wings.
This was a fascinating past time for kids during the doggone days of summer.
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