The recent heavy rains brought about by typhoons “Egay” and “Falcon,” with the southwest monsoon (habagat) close on the heels threatening to degenerate into a storm, reminded me of a song made famous in the early sixties by the American folk music trio Peter, Paul, and Mary.
Two English nursery rhymes were merged in a song that sent many humming along with the trio amidst ominous clouds hovering on the horizon with the advent of an unpopular war in neighboring Vietnam.
The song, which combined the verses of “It’s Raining, It’s Pouring” and “Rain, Rain Go Away,” echoed the sentiments of many as they pretty much summed up the almost two weeks of continuous downpours that drenched most parts of the archipelago, destroying crops, homes, and infrastructure, triggering floods, landslides, and maritime mishaps, and leading to the loss of many lives.
While seen as a blessing to many, the rain is considered a blight to others. While some cultures view it as a symbol of new beginnings, fertility, good luck, a cleansing ritual, or a time for reflection or taking stock of one’s life, others perceive it as the harbinger of bad luck, a pesky obstacle (because it spoils whatever you had planned that day), or a perfect setting to feel depressed, gloomy, or helplessly inactive, leaving one sulking in the confines of home with nowhere to go restricted as you are from venturing out.
The rain’s destructive character can also be seen in the Bible’s narration of the Great Flood when an enraged God was led to destroy man because of the evil and violence He saw in the world he created. Except for Noah, a righteous man, his family, and two of each kind of animal he took with him on a specially-built ark, not a single living creature was spared from God’s wrath. Rain poured on earth for 40 days and 40 nights, creating a deluge that covered even the tallest mountains before the waters receded after 150 days.
The rain is often seen as a symbolic force of nature in most cultures.
In China, medicine men would dance-sometimes for hours-while asking the gods for rain to water scorched fields, quench one’s thirst, or cool dehydrated bodies. The same ritual was practiced in olden Greece when people would pray to Zeus, the king of thunder and lightning, to be assured of good harvests.
The Egyptian goddess Tefnut, on the other hand, was the object of devotion to fertility and for nurturing all forms of life, from humans to plants, animals, and all other living things. On the other hand, Indians worshiped Lord Indra, their version of Zeus, as he was also known as the God of thunder and storms, to ensure a steady rainfall for their farm produce.
Dances were also performed by Native Americans dressed in colorful tribal finery who implored the gods to be generous with rain to irrigate farmlands and as a source of drinking water. In Nigeria, meanwhile, rainmakers were asked to pray for rain so as not to dampen the mood during weddings, burials, or other special events.
In the Philippines, which is often hit by typhoons as well as southeast monsoon rains or habagat (Habagat is the God of winds or rain in Philippine mythology), some communities observe the “Agua de Mayo” (“waters of May”). Rain that falls on the first of May is considered lucky and curative for those suffering from various ailments. A rainy wedding day? Newlyweds need not despair because the rain indicates a happy life ahead.
Plantitas and plantitos should welcome the downpour because it means lush foliage, colorful flowers, and healthy plants.
Environment advocates also invite rain as it cools temperatures and greens the planet.
Still, one wonders why in this land of perennial typhoons where about 20 to 21 enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility every year, technology has yet to be perfected to harness the huge amount of water that goes to waste which could sustain the country as well as its population’s needs, especially during the summer months when faucets and reservoirs run dry.
Yet don’t we all prefer to see the rainbow’s magnificent arc that comes after the torrent?
On that note (and since we started with a song), let me end optimally with a line or two from American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:
“Into each life, some rain must fall. Too much is falling in mine.”
Into each heart, some tears must fall. Someday the sun will shine.”