The Origin of Rice (Folktales and Legends)

Rice is the staple food of Filipinos, and because of this, we have many stories about rice plants or palay. Our ancestors used their stories to explain how palay was discovered as a crop and rice as a food. The origin of the palay is related to the livelihood of our ancestors before they became farmers. In the beginning, people depended on their surroundings for food. They hunted, fished, and dug for root crops. Because they gathered food this way, they did not have permanent homes nor sources of livelihood. Then, when they learned how to plant palay, their lives improved.