Full Moon in Siquijor: When Mysticism Wakes

Every month, as the moon reaches fullness over Siquijor, something shifts. Healers who work quietly during ordinary weeks feel the pull. Medicinal plants are harvested at their peak potency. And those who keep the old ways gather to practice traditions passed down through generations.

This is the island’s mystical reputation made manifest—not a tourist show, but a living practice that predates colonization and persists despite modernity.

The Legend and Reality

Siquijor’s Reputation

Siquijor has long been known throughout the Philippines as a center of folk medicine and, more ominously, dark magic. Filipinos from other islands speak of Siquijor’s mangkukulam (witches) and aswang (supernatural creatures) with a mix of fear and fascination.

The reality is more nuanced. Siquijor’s isolation allowed pre-colonial healing traditions to survive longer than elsewhere. What visitors often perceive as mysticism is actually an intact system of herbalism, massage, and spiritual practice that was once common throughout the archipelago.

The Mananambal

The island’s healers are called mananambal (plural: mamamananambal). They are:

• Herbalists who know medicinal plants
• Massage therapists who manipulate the body
• Spiritual practitioners who communicate with unseen forces
• Counselors who listen and advise
• Community members with inherited knowledge

Most are Catholic, seeing no contradiction between Church and traditional practice. The syncretism is itself centuries old.

The Full Moon Connection

Full moon gatherings have roots in:

• Lunar influence on plant medicine potency
• Community gathering traditions
• Spiritual beliefs about heightened energy
• Practical considerations (light for nighttime activities)

Whether the moon genuinely affects healing efficacy is debated. That practitioners believe it does is undeniable.

What Happens at Full Moon

Herbal Medicine Preparation

The full moon is traditionally considered the optimal time for:

• Harvesting medicinal plants
• Preparing tinctures and oils
• Creating lana (healing oils)
• Mixing potions and remedies

Some healers time their major preparations to the lunar cycle, believing plant properties are strongest.

Bolo-Bolo Ritual

The most famous Siquijor healing technique involves:

1. A glass of water placed over the patient’s affected area
2. The healer blows through a bamboo straw into the water
3. Dark residue appears in the water (the “illness” being removed)
4. The water is discarded, taking the illness with it

Massage and Manipulation

Hilot (traditional massage) is practiced widely on the island. During full moon periods, some healers offer extended sessions or address more serious conditions they wouldn’t tackle during ordinary times.

Community Gatherings

In some villages, full moons bring informal gatherings:

• Shared meals
• Storytelling
• Communal prayer
• Transmission of knowledge to younger generations

These are not tourist events—they’re community moments that visitors occasionally witness.

Holy Week: The Biggest Gathering

The most significant healing activities occur during Holy Week (Semana Santa), which contains the full moon closest to Easter.

Black Saturday Tradition

The night before Easter Sunday is believed to be when healing powers peak. At sites like San Antonio’s famous gathering:

• Hundreds of healers converge
• Patients travel from across the Philippines
• All-night ceremonies occur
• New remedies are prepared for the year

This gathering has become partially commercialized, with some performative elements for tourists. But amid the tourism, genuine practitioners still work.

Finding Authentic Experiences

Monthly Full Moons

Outside Holy Week, full moon activity is more dispersed and private. To experience it:

Ask Locally: Your accommodation owner, dive shop staff, or motorcycle rental guy may know healers. Word of mouth is the primary referral system.

Visit Known Healers: Some healers welcome visitors by appointment regardless of moon phase. Full moon visits may be more ceremonially significant.

Don’t Push: If a healer is working privately and doesn’t want observers, respect that. Not everything is for outsiders to see.

Red Flags

Be cautious of:

• “Healers” who approach tourists aggressively
• Fixed prices for ceremonies (authentic practice often works on donation)
• Performances that feel rehearsed and theatrical
• Anyone guaranteeing specific outcomes

Authentic healers are often humble and hesitant about strangers. The eager ones may be oriented toward tourist income.

Green Lights

Encouraging signs:

• Referral from locals who’ve used the healer themselves
• The healer has a local practice with local patients
• Modest setting, not designed for tourists
• Reluctance to promise specific results
• Donation-based rather than fixed-price

Observing Respectfully

Attitude

Approach with:

• Genuine curiosity rather than condescension
• Respect for beliefs you may not share
• Willingness to participate rather than just observe
• Understanding that you’re a guest

Practical Etiquette

• Ask before photographing anything
• Dress modestly (covered shoulders, knee-length at minimum)
• Bring cash for donations/offerings
• Turn off phone notifications
• Be patient—timing is flexible
• Follow guidance from your host/healer

What to Expect

Experiences vary widely, but common elements:

Initial consultation: The healer may ask about your concerns, physical or otherwise.

Observation: You may watch others being treated while waiting.

Treatment: If you participate, it may involve massage, oil application, prayer, or ritual.

Advice: Healers often give lifestyle or spiritual guidance.

Exchange: Leave a donation that feels appropriate. ₱500-1,000 is typical for substantial sessions.

The Skeptic’s Experience

You don’t need to believe in mystical healing to find value in full moon Siquijor:

As Anthropology

These practices represent living cultural heritage. Observing them is witnessing something that exists almost nowhere else in Southeast Asia in this form.

As Psychology

The rituals engage placebo effect, therapeutic touch, and the power of focused attention. Even skeptics often report feeling relaxed, cared for, or emotionally moved.

As Community

Healing in Siquijor is social. Being welcomed into a gathering connects you with local life in ways tourist activities cannot.

As Story

Whatever you believe, you’ll leave with an experience to tell. That story has value.

Personal Experiences

What Visitors Report

Common experiences visitors share:

• Deep relaxation similar to spa treatments
• Emotional release (sometimes unexpected tears)
• Vivid dreams the night after
• Sense of clarity or perspective
• Skepticism that softens (if not dissolves)

What Doesn’t Typically Happen

• Dramatic healings of serious conditions
• Obvious evidence of supernatural phenomena
• Anything that resembles Hollywood depictions of magic

The experience is usually subtler and more psychological than spectacular.

Planning Your Visit

Timing

Full moon dates for your travel period can be found on any lunar calendar. Plan to arrive a day or two before to arrange experiences.

Most active period: Black Saturday (Holy Week)—but also most crowded and commercialized.

Quieter alternative: Any other full moon, arranged through local connections.

Where to Stay

San Juan area: Most tourist infrastructure, good base for exploring.

Siquijor Town area: Closer to some healing communities.

Interior villages: For truly immersive experience (limited comfort).

Arranging Visits

Through accommodation: Some hotels have healer relationships.

Through guides: Multi-day guides may include healer visits.

Independently: Ask locals; be patient; accept uncertainty.

Beyond Tourism

The Tradition’s Future

Siquijor’s healing traditions face pressures:

• Young people leave for city opportunities
• Modern medicine competes for credibility
• Tourism distorts practice toward performance
• Catholic Church periodically discourages

Yet the tradition persists, adapting as it has for centuries.

Being a Good Guest

Visitors who come respectfully, pay fairly, and approach with genuine interest contribute positively. Those who come seeking exotic performance or taking without giving do harm.

Your visit is a choice about which dynamic to support.

A Full Moon Night

The moon rises fat and yellow over the Bohol Sea. In a village house, a healer unwraps bundles of leaves collected that afternoon—when, she says, the plant spirits were most awake. A small fire burns. The smell of herbs fills the room.

She prays—in Cebuano, in Latin, in something older than either. Her hands move over a patient’s body, firm and knowing. Outside, dogs bark. Children play. The ordinary and extraordinary coexist.

This is not spectacle. This is Tuesday—or rather, full moon Tuesday—in Siquijor. The island doesn’t perform its mysticism. It lives it.

Whether you believe doesn’t much matter. What matters is whether you can witness with respect, curiosity, and openness. That is enough.

For the most significant healing gatherings, see our Holy Week guide. To understand healers more deeply, read our guide to traditional mananambal.