M AY D AY EV E

B Y: N IC K JO A Q IN

C haracters :
Anastasia old woman, who is so obedient to her

mistress, accused for being a

witch and believes in superstitious beliefs
Agueda pretty, young woman who is so curious,
hardheaded, brave and very
much willing to know her future husband
Don Badoy Monitiya a great lover, emotional and
full of sentiment old man,
who repents for what he has done to Agueda
Voltaire Believe in superstitious belief and was like
his grandma who at an early age want to know who
will he marry

Sum m ary
As Don Badoy Montoya visited his old home at
Intramuros,Manila, memories of his youth came back.
He recalled how he fell in love with Agueda, a young
woman who resisted his advances. Agueda learned
that she would be able to know her future husband by
reciting an incantation in front of a mirror. As she
recited the words: Mirror, mirror, show to me him
whose woman I will be, Agueda saw Badoy. Badoy
and Agueda gotmarried. However, Don Badoy learned
from his grandson that he was described by Doa
Agueda (through their daughter) as a "devil". In
return, Don Badoy told his grandson that every time
he looks at the mirror, he only sees a "witch" (Agueda).
Don Badoy ponders on love that had dissipated. The
truth was revealed, Badoy and Agueda had a bitter
marriage, which began in the past, during one
evening in the month of May in 1847. The tragedy of
the story is Badoys heart forgot how he loved Agueda
in the past. They were not able to mend their broken

Analysis O fM ay D ay Eve
One May day night, Agueda looked at the mirror to see
whose woman she will be, andvoilashe sees Badoy, which
is really coincidental since Badoy only wanted to pass out
quietly in bed. Badoy, being drunk and wanting to display
his masculinity, thinks he can handle the situation and
score a night with Agueada. But no, he made a terrible
mistake of assuring himself that what he felt that night
was love, while naughty Agueda believes that the man she
saw in the mirror will be her husband. And thus began a
case of unfounded love - more of an infatuation scene.
What happened that night wasn't the start of what will
seem to be a perfect and happy marriage, not a true and
solid love, on the contrary, what passed between them
was only an empty love, I believe.
Based on Agueda's character, she is truly capable of
making rushed decisions. From the sequence in
paragraphs 11-14, we can see an Agueda who is
"rebellious", ready for anything, and clearly, she's not
thinking things over. And just like that, she pushes forward

She is afraid yet she still moves on,

unsure of what will happen. Badoy, on the
other hand, happens to be drunk that
night. Of course, we all know that drunken
people tend to do anything and
everything and they do things without
giving much thought over it. So most
probably, Badoy doesn't know what he's
doing; he's not thinking straight; he's not
in his right state of mind - which only
serves as proof that what Agueda and
Badoy had was only infatuation or
passion. Agueda rushes with flickering
indecisions, while Badoy is drunk; and
there you have it, their love is that of a

"But, alas, the heart forgets; the heart is distracted;

and May time passes; summer ends; the storms
break over the hot-ripe orchards and the heart grows
old; while the hours, the days, the months, and the
years pile up and pile up, till the mind becomes too
crowded, too confused: dust gathers in it; cobwebs
multiply; the walls darken and fall into ruin and
decay; the memory perished." Long, long after their
midnight event, both of them realized that they made
a mistake of following their first impulse about love;
they both forgot how they "loved" each other. And the
result? A very bitter marriage. Agueda recounts her
experience to her daughter and she goes on to
describe her husband as the Devil himself; and what
she saw before is different from what she sees now.
Agueda said that the man she saw in that mirror is a
man with a "black, elegant mustache, and fine
clothes and flashing eyes". But, the Badoy she sees
now, she describes as a man with a "dirty, graying,

He also recounts his experience this time, to his grandson,

describing the woman he married as the witch. Well, Badoy
was still pretty kind by describing Agueda as "the most
beautiful creature [he] has ever seen"; but he retracts by
saying that he was "bewitched and tortured" by this
woman. Describing their partners as the Devil or a witch
will be more or less the same as saying that what they saw
in their partners was only the surface value; and what they
eventually (maybe alittle too late) saw inside was a dark
and terrible soul, which is also another proof of the empty
love going on in their lives. This is a clear illustration of
"falling in love" - they loved then they fell. Well, what a
happy couple.
Relationships must never be purely based on passions and
infatuations. Relationships like these never succeed. But,
had it been true love, had they been thinking right that
night, they shouldn't have shed those needless tears. Their
relationship could have lasted and what happened 43
years ago would have stayed till forever. But no, they
made the mistake of reassuring themselves that it was

Vocabulary W ords :
Promptly - With little or no delay;

immediately.
Lamenting Toexpressgrieffororabout;mourn:
Merriment - Gaiety and fun.
Audacity -An audio editing application.
Serenade - are typically calm, light music.
Muttered - say something in a low or
barely audible voice, especially in
dissatisfaction or irritation.

Q uestion :
1. What is the name of the author

of the story?
2. What is the tittle of this story?
3. Who is the grandson of Don
Badoy?
4. Where did the story happened?
5. Who is the witch?

Answ ers:
1. Nick Joaquin
2. May Day Eve
3. Voltaire
4. At a house in Intramuros,

Manila
5. Anastasia

R EP O R TER S
Maricris Dela Cruz
Jecris Dizon
Christian Angelo

Domingo