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Showing posts from November, 2014

The Watchman of Old Manila

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In the highly praised short story  "May Day Eve" by Nick Joaquin,  the narratives begin and end with a watchman announcing: "Guardia sereno-o-o! A las doce han dado-o-o!". The writer is actually reliving a century-old feature of Spanish Manila that traced back to Medieval Times in Spain -- Sereno, the watchman.                        A watchman of Madrid. 1832. Drawing by Juan Carrafa (BNE). I haven't seen yet                                 illustrations or photos of  "Sereno" of Manila. It heightens more curiosities.                  A watchman unit was a common feature in a European medieval town. They were employed by the community inside a walled town to guard the streets and announce the hours of the night. This hourly announcement was also meant as a weather update for medieval farmers, in cases of weather disturbances for the protection of crops and animals .   Thus there are some parts in Spain with this popular sereno announcements: "Las