Nangangatok, Who’s Knocking At Your Door?

Nangangatok, Who’s Knocking At Your Door?

The Nangangatok are usually invisible spirits that are harbingers of terrible things to come. People are advised to peek through the window first when someone knocks before opening their doors or they might let the Nangangatok inside their house.   Unlike the Kumakatok (“door knockers”), a group of three robed figures believed by many in the Philippines to knock on doors in the middle of the night and bring bad omens, you will never see the Nangangatok. The Kumakatok allegedly look like humans but wear hoods that obscure their faces. One resembles a young female, while the other two look like elderly men.

The Nangangatok will knock on the door of a home. If the door is opened by a member of the household, they will not see anyone. A few days later, something terrible happens – like sickness or death. People are advised to peek through a window first when they hear someone knocking at their door. If they don’t see anyone outside, they must not open it.  The Nangangatok will move on to their next victim.

Nangangatok

A Nangangatok Tale

 A lot of people don’t have the best impression of backpacking, but there are a lot of things worth seeing. Once you get off the regular roads, away from all the tourists and really settle down in the rhythm of the local life you’ll discover just how much it has to offer.

I went to a small town not far from Manila to start my journey in the Philippines. After a few misadventures with some buses and some jeepneys, I stopped by this tiny community on the edge of a mountainside called Sta. Montinola. I was hungry so the moment I saw a Bulalo shop, I dropped my bags and did my best to interact with the locals.

 They were very kind people, they told me all about the places I should visit around their town. The hot spring, the mountainside, and the beautiful river were all wonderful surprises. This is why I enjoy backpacking. You get to see sights that aren’t on any tour map or travel blog. You get to see the beauty of the area on your own.The town itself had very interesting architecture. I was about to knock on a door when a local grabbed my hand and stopped me. He explained that the door was covered in bubog (broken glass) and that I should use the doorbell instead. I asked why they would put something so dangerous on a door and if it causes accidents but the local just said that that’s the way they do things in this town, it helps people live longer.(http://www.aswangproject.com/nangangatok-door-knocking-spirits/)