The Watchman of Old Manila


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 doce han dado y sereno" (It's 12 midnight and tranquil),  "Las trece han dado y aleviendo" (It's 1PM  and stormy), "Las quince han dado y nublado" (Its 3 PM and cloudy)"


In older times in the Philippines, the word sereno has taken another meaning. In the barrios, it means the time of dusk or the time of the oracion (angelus). It is also the time when people, children most of all, should not venture outside. Thus we have elders warning young ones: "Huwag ng lumabas at baka maserenohan kayo!"...  "Huwag na kayong lalabas sereno na". Venturing out means attracting evil spirits or even sickness to come etc. So with this, we get the quasi-religious elements of the "sereno".



There must have been something in the "night" according to our prehispanic folklore that the early friars exploited. Plus the element of this night watch design to pacify the natives. Communities were then put into a "pueblo" or a barrio under the care of a priest. "Bajo la campana". All of this mixed into a cocktail to form a Filipino catholic mentality and beliefs.


                                      A watchman who just received his pay. 13th Century. Italy




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