Macopa is a crunchy fruit about the size of a tomato. When unripe, it is pink in color. When ripe it is shiny red. Most notable is its bell-shape figure that inspired this myth on how this fruit came to be.
This myth is an action thriller that tells of how marauders from another place tried to rob a priceless bell from a coastal town. The bell, aside from being of pure gold, was said to be one of a kind and had been treasured by the town. The myth recounts how the heroic people of the town were able to keep the bell from the hands of the bandits.
The coastal town had an old church. According to the myth the bell in the tower was shaped like a giant cup. Initially the bell was fondly called the “copa” or cup. As time went by, the myth says the bell’s name evolved into “macopa,” which really meant “shaped more like a cup.” The bell tolled differently than most bells, the myth further says. Though alone, it often seemed to play some kind of a merry tune.
One day, says this myth, some bandits, going by boat loads and armed to the teeth, proceeded to the coastal town. Soon, the myth says, the town people had a quick meeting and their leaders decided on burying the bell. The people hurriedly took the bell from the tower and buried it at the back of the church.
So the bandits arrived and, the myth says, started to attack the helpless town. Being a peaceful and religious town, they did not have need for any police force. So the bandits quickly overcome them without a fight. Then they looked around but found no gold bell. This angered them.
Nobody from the town wanted to talk about where the bell was, so the bandits killed all the people. Finding nothing, the bandits left frustrated. When they have left the people of the neighboring town came and buried them. At the back of the church, they found a small plant growing on the spot where the golden bell was buried. It grew into a big tree and bore bell-shaped fruits which the people from the next town called macopa because it resembled the gold bell.
The myth on how the macopa came to be shows how religion has been ingrained in the people’s lives, and how they are ready to die for it.
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