Another surprise about the sampaguita is that it wasn’t a Filipino who proclaimed it our national flower. It was on February 1, 1934 when Governor-General Frank Murphy of the United States named it our national symbol because of its "popularity, ornamental value, fragrance, and the role it plays in the legends and traditions of the Filipino people.”
What legend, you may ask? Apparently, a maiden named Lakambini had a love named Lakam Galing who went off to battle to defend their land. Before he left, they exchanged the words “Sumpa kita” as a pledge of their undying love for one another. Alas, Lakam Galing didn’t survive that battle and Lakambini died still mourning his death. At her gravesite, there soon sprouted a vine that bore fragrant white flowers echoing her purity and untainted love.
In the modern age, Sampaguita continues to lend its name to new products of the imagination. There is an interactive anime game entitled Sampaguita. Like the flower, the central female character, named Maria Santos, is a sweet, exotic "flower" lost in Japan and her mysterious background must be uncovered. It is an action-romance game that is part of Sony Playstation’s Yudora series.
Now that you know that our national flower is called Arabian Jasmine, hails from India, has a Japanese game named after it, and that it was declared our symbol by an American, the sampaguita suddenly sounds a lot more colorful than its unassuming white petals, doesn’t it?
But the surprises aren’t over yet. The sampaguita is actually considered an herb. It is said that the roots were once used to treat wounds and snake bites. The young leaves and flowers were also used to make a putty which was mixed and eaten with rice to dry scabies and other skin eruptions. The Chinese are also said to use it to flavor food, tea and wine. To this day, Arabian Jasmine is used extensively in fragrances in cosmetics.
What legend, you may ask? Apparently, a maiden named Lakambini had a love named Lakam Galing who went off to battle to defend their land. Before he left, they exchanged the words “Sumpa kita” as a pledge of their undying love for one another. Alas, Lakam Galing didn’t survive that battle and Lakambini died still mourning his death. At her gravesite, there soon sprouted a vine that bore fragrant white flowers echoing her purity and untainted love.
In the modern age, Sampaguita continues to lend its name to new products of the imagination. There is an interactive anime game entitled Sampaguita. Like the flower, the central female character, named Maria Santos, is a sweet, exotic "flower" lost in Japan and her mysterious background must be uncovered. It is an action-romance game that is part of Sony Playstation’s Yudora series.
Now that you know that our national flower is called Arabian Jasmine, hails from India, has a Japanese game named after it, and that it was declared our symbol by an American, the sampaguita suddenly sounds a lot more colorful than its unassuming white petals, doesn’t it?
But the surprises aren’t over yet. The sampaguita is actually considered an herb. It is said that the roots were once used to treat wounds and snake bites. The young leaves and flowers were also used to make a putty which was mixed and eaten with rice to dry scabies and other skin eruptions. The Chinese are also said to use it to flavor food, tea and wine. To this day, Arabian Jasmine is used extensively in fragrances in cosmetics.
No comments:
Post a Comment