Folklore is the body of expressive culture, including tales, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular

beliefs, customs, and so forth within a particular population comprising the traditions (including oral traditions) of that culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. Source: Wikipedia

One of the reason why the captivating Capiz Province is well known to the other Filipinos, not for the reason that Capiz is the Sea Food Capital of the Philippines, but for also for the word ASWANG. What with this Aswang??? Aswang is a ghoul in Filipino Folklore. They are most feared of the supernatural creatures in the Philippines which has some variety of stories and myths. This feared creature is very well known in Western Visayan regions such as the Province of Capiz, Iloilo and Antique. They are sometimes called as Tik-tik or Wak-wak in some places in Capiz. As I remember when I was still a child, my elders told me that If I will not go home early from outside playing with my friends I will be eaten by Aswangs. As I grow older I realize that Aswang is not really existing at all. Some elders are doing that and telling some Aswang stories in their children to keep them off the streets and keep them home at night. Whenever some Filipinos heard that you are from the captivating Province of Capiz. Their first impression is you are an Aswang. Some of them are afraid to be accompanied by Capizeo just because they are afraid to be eaten. But actually I been here in the captivating Capiz and I already reached at this age, 19 years old, but still until now I didnt see Aswang yet. With this captivating Capiz, this will help to realize some Filipinos that instead keep in their mind that Aswang is existing, why dont they discover some captivating places in Capiz not only places but also some cultures, events and architecture which we can consider as one of the Pride of the Island of the Philippines.

Aswang are the evil monsters in the Philippines. Like "Diwata" the term "Aswang" (also spelled Asuwang or Asuang) has changed over time, originally based on the words meaning roughly "The Dog" (Aso Ang). They were a sort of ghoulish were-wolf who had to assume the form of a dog during the day. For more on this form, see below (Aswang as a Lycanthrope). This is the use in The Mythology Class. Modernly the term is more often associated with vampires, particularly Manananggal. However, it is primarily used as a general term for all monsters, witches or other evil things that go "bump" in the night, much like the "boogeyman." In Trese, there are 4 tribes of Aswang. They make up the tribes associated with evil in the Underworld. Appearance: One common attribute to all the oldest stories about all sorts of Aswang is the ability to change their shape. However, they all appear to be normal humans (or dogs, in The Mythology Class) during the day. In order to tell if your neighbor is an Aswang, you can look for red eyes (from staying up all night). If you see your reflection in their eyes, it will be upside-down. Finally, if you look at them upside down through your legs, their true form will be revealed. Most of the types are said to have a very long and sharp tongue they can extend and suck through, like a proboscis, to help them in their ghoulish habits. These stories are so common that the "dila" (tongue) is sometimes referenced almost like it is a separate creature.

Personality: The Aswang are mainly considered evil for their dietary habits. According to the book "Creatures of Lower Philippine Mythology," the generalized group can be divided into 5 main categories: "viscerasuckers" which usually eat internal organs like the heart, liver and also fetuses (a common delicacy amongst Aswang- making pregnant women prime targets), "blood-suckers" like Manananggal and other vampires, "flesh eaters" like the lycanthropic Aswang that primarily take the form of weredogs and were-boars, and witches who use curses, called mangkukulam. Other creatures have now started to be referred to as "Aswang" especially in pop-culture, even sometimes including multo (ghosts who were not originally usually considered evil in Filipino myth) and Syokoy (fish-faced merfolk who ). Common Powers: The most common power amongst all Aswang is the ability to change shape. Usually the shape is defined by the type of Aswang, but particularly powerful ones have gained the ability to take on other forms. Birds and bats are common, and some Aswang are even said to be able to take the form of their victims. They also have varying magical powers by type, but one common association is that they sound like they are getting farther away the closer they get. Interesting Notes: Like other enchanted creatures of the Philippines, salt is a good deterrent to Aswang (it can even burn their skin) and ginger can be used as a repellent (like garlic and Western vampires). To truly kill an Aswang, one must use a bamboo spear through its heart or kill it with a dried stingray's tail (called buntut-pagi) or the spear of a swordfish. In some movies, Aswang are repelled by garlic, but this seems to stem from confusion with Western vampires. Also, in all Aswang but the Syokoy, they reputedly can not swim, leading to a similar fear of crossing running water that seems to afflict undead in Western mythology. Since the coming of Catholicism, holy water also had negative effects on Aswang (though some Filipinos have pointed out that holy water traditionally has a high salt content), in fact it was the exorcisms cast by the missionaries that helped them convert the Philippines: the locals saw how effective the missionaries' faith was against demonic possession. In one province, there is a god of evil called Aswang. Marvel comics took him as the god of evil and the Impiyerno (a Spanish word for Hell) for the Filipino Pantheon of gods. Capiz is a province most famous for having an abundance of Aswang and is held in similar esteem to Transylvania in Europe.