nting-anting

Other things commonly passed on as anting-anting includes good luck charms of traders and gamblers, ago-go paraphernalia’s of hippies and fashion buffs and religious medallions of the pious. Observed Ernesto A. Franco: "Good luck, aside from physical power, is another reason for the pursuit of the anting-anting." But in the strict sense of the word, are they really so?

They could not possibly be. The anting-anting is not as common as these. It is not something quite easy to be had. It is a rare object and not something quite easy to be had.

It is a rare object and not even a commodity that can be the subject of commerce. Anting-anting(s) for sale are definitely not the real McCoy. Its rarity is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that in a generation, as in the last, only one person has been reputed to possess it; or a few, if the little known ones are included.

The manner of the anting-anting’s acquisition is also the subject of lengthy and protracted debate. Some insist that it can be acquired after defeating in a barehand combat some spiritual giant, while others indicate that it can be achieved by swallowing a crystal drop of water that hangs from a banana heart at a certain time in the dead of night. Others still profess to other means.

Enduring mysteries like the anting-anting serve their purpose, as in their purest form, they shed light on the mental and physical temperament of a people. Its promise of romance seems to be its principal appeal to the poor and dispossessed. To be impervious to bullets, to disappear and reappear at will, and to ward off evil spirits and be protected from danger of any kind - these are what makes it attractive to the poor and dispossessed who can usher for the simple reason that they do not have it. Thus, illusions and make-believe are resorted to. It is, after all, the way out of their misery. One shouldn’t, however, entertain wrong notions or strange ideas about the anting-anting. Among its avowed powers does not include providing the winning the number of a sweepstakes ticket.