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Apo Dios


I don't recall whether Apo Dios refers to God or to the sun. Maybe I didn't ever know.

Ilocano was the parents primary language. I understood Ilocano but couldn't wrap my Americanized tongue around Ilocano words to speak it. So, yeah, we were one of those families in which immigrant parents talked to their American-born children in their native language and the children responded in English. Think of interpreters translating in real time.

The term Apo Dios is a combination of two languages. Apo in Ilocano means father or grandfather. So, I've always thought. An online Ilocano-English dictionary says otherwise. It says Apo means God. Dios is a Spanish word that means God. Spain colonized the Philippines for over 300 years so of course Spanish is going to seep into the native languages there. That same Ilocano-English dictionary defines Apo Dios as God.

Usually, my parents addressed Dios when life was going fine, such as "Hi, God, how are you doing? We're doing well, thank you very much." But for grave matters, they called to Apo Dios, such as "Oh Dear God, I beg your help that all goes well." When the Mama prayed to Apo Dios, she looked up into the sky and, if she happened to be outdoors, she faced the sun.

I may be remembering this wrong, but I think that the Mama also referred to the sun as Apo Dios. The dictionary says that the Ilocano word for sun is innit. But that word to me means the heat of the sun in the context of "Damn, the sun is hot today."

What I ought to do is learn about the spiritual beliefs of Northern Luzon before the Spanish royalty decided the Philippine Islands belonged to them way back in the 16th century. But, I probably won't.


Today begins the 24th round of ABC Wednesday. Whoo-hooo! Maybe this round I'll be able to get through all the letters. Check out the meme here and the letter A participants here. Thanks, ABCW team!

Comments

  1. nice image, and it's always fun to learn about one's ancestors through their native language!

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  2. Those photos capture the wonder of it all.

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  3. Sun and God reminds me of this bit by George Carlin.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4diugMg5kQ

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  4. I've seen those families that speak to each other in different languages. It's fun to watch. Mostly around here it's Spanish.

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    Replies
    1. It took the Husband for a loop the first time he watched the Mama and me converse.

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  5. This was interesting to read about and I love how you responded in English. It reminds me of my mom and (er best fr8end Brigitte who would talk a combo of English and German...always fun to listen to. Not quite the same but it reminded me of that. I like the meaning of your word.

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    Replies
    1. Life would've been easier for the family if I spoke Ilocano. We had such a communication gap.

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  6. While we talk in our mother tongue the children replied in the adopted language and it irked the elders but now that I read your post this appears to be a global phenomenon.

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    Replies
    1. I was in my 20s when I realized I wasn't the only one.

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  7. Wonderful and ethereal photos and post ~ ^_^ ~ Ancestors so important ~

    Happy Day to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  8. I guess it depends on how important it is to delve deeper into that part of your ancestry . . . those kinds of decisions get a little more complex, the older we get, don't they?

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    Replies
    1. I'm glad Catholic ritual wasn't such a big deal for my parents, which may be why guilt tripping doesn't work on me much. I prefer not having a name for what I believe. I just do.

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  9. And who said the English language is confusing? Foreign language is very confusing to me. :) Very cool introduction, though. Love it! Great 'A' contribution. Have an AWESOME weekend!

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  10. The history of the faith of he indigenous people WOULD be interesting.

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  11. Welcome to round 24 !
    Nice to may welcome you again!

    No matter what the Original intent was... It sure shows His power in any way


    Have a splendid, ♥-warming ABC-Wednes-day / -week
    ♫ M e l d y ♪ (ABC-W-team)
    http://melodyk.nl/24-A

    ReplyDelete

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Thanks for the good cheer. :-)

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