Chapter 2
Childhood Years in Calamba
By: Kayla Czarina C Natividad and Princess Julia A Balingit
He was born and raised by Don Francisco Rizal
Mercado y Alejandro and Doña Teodora Alonso
Realonda y Quintos.
In the town of Calamba in Laguna.
Calamba
Rizal’s natal town
Hacienda town belonged to the Dominican Order
Verdant plain full of rice fields and sugar-lands.
South looms: Mt. Makiling; East of the town: Laguna de Bay;
Middle of the lake: Island of Talim; North: Antipolo
1876
15 years old student in Ateneo de Manila
He wrote the poem Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My town)
Earliest Childhood Memories
MEMORY #1: HIS HAPPY DAYS IN THE FAMILY GARDEN WHEN HE WAS THREE (3)
YEARS OLD.
In the cottage, the culiauan, the maya, the maria capra, the martin, the pipit and other
birds and he listened “with wonder and joy” to their songs.
MEMORY #2: THE DAILY ANGELUS PRAYER
Every night, Doña Theodora gathered all the children at the house to pray.
MEMORY #3: HAPPY MOONLIT NIGHTS AT THE AZOTEA AFTER THE NIGHTLY
ROSARY.
The aya or nurse maid told the Rizal children various stories about fairies; tales of
buried treasure and trees blooming with diamonds, and other stories.
MEMORY #4: THE NOCTURNAL WALK IN THE TOWN
The aya took him for a walk in the moonlight by the river.
The Hero’s First Sorrow
His little sister Concha or known as Concepcion.
She died of sickness in 1865 at the age of three (3)
years old.
Devoted Son of the Church
Catholic
At the age of three, he began to take part in the
family prayers.
At the age of five, he was able to read fluently the
Spanish family Bible.
He was called Manong Jose by the Hermanos and
Hermanas Terceras.
During boyhood, he adored Father Leoncio Lopez,
the town priest.
Jose learned to read and write through private tutor
Maestro Calestino and the second Maestro Lucas Padua
later succeeded Calestino
Afterwards a former classmate of Don Francisco tutored
Jose Rizal, Leon Monroy
Heredity Influences
Malayan Ancestor - love for freedom, innate desire to travel and indomitable
courage.
Chinese Ancestor - serious nature, frugality, patience and love for children.
Spanish Ancestor - elegance of bearing, sensitivity to insult and gallanty to ladies.
Father - profound sense of respect, the love for work and the habit of independent
thinking.
Mother - religious nature, the spirit of self-sacrifice and the passion for arts and
literature.
Environmental Influences
The scenic beauties of Calamba and the beautiful garden of the Rizal family - inborn
artistic and literary talents of Jose Rizal.
The religious atmosphere at his home - religious nature
Brother: Paciano - love for freedom and justice
Sisters - courteous and kind to women
Aya or Nurse maid - interest in folklore and legends
Tio Jose Alberto - artistic ability
Tio Manuel - frail walking and wrestling
Tio Gregorio - voracious reading of good books
Father Leoncio Lopez - love for scholarship and intellectual honesty
Sorrows in his family - character, enabling him to resist blows of adversity in late years.
Aid of Divine Influences
God - endowed him with the versatile gifts of a
genius, the vibrant spirit of nationalist, and the
valiant heart to sacrifice for a noble cause.
Pilgrimage to Antipolo
June 6, 1868; Calamba to Antipolo
Doña Theodora could not come with
Jose because she had given birth to
Trinidad
His first trip across Laguna de Bay
Jose and his father rode in a casco
(barge)
It was the first time he saw manila;
when he and his father visited
Saturnina, who was then a boarding
student at La Concordia College in
Santa Ana
The Story of the Moth
Of the stories told by Dofia Teodora, to her favorite
son. Jose , that of the young moth made the
profoundest impression on him.
Artistic Talents
At the age or five, he began to make sketches with his
pencil and to mold in clay and wax objects~ which
attracted his fancy.
Artistic Talents
At the age or five, he began to make sketches with his pencil and to mold in
clay and wax objects~ which attracted his fancy.
When Jose was a mere boy in Calamba, a religious banner which was always used
during the fiesta was spoiled. Upon the request of the town mayor, he painted
in oil colors a new banner that delighted the town folks because 11 was better
than the original one.
One interesting anecdote about Rizal was the incident about his clay and wax
mages. One day when he was about six years old his sisters laughed at him for
spending so much time making those images rather than participating in their
games. He kept silent as they laughed with childish glee. But as they were
departing, he told them: "All right laugh at me now! Someday when I die, people
will make monuments and images of me!"
First Poem by Rizal
At the age of eight, Rizal wrote his first poem in the native
language entitled “Sa Aking Mga Kababata” (To My Fellow
Children)
This poem reveals Rizal's earliest nationalist sentiment. In
poetic verses, he proudly proclaimed that a people who
truly love their native language will surely strive for liberty
like "the bird which soars, to freer space above" and that
Tagalog is the equal to Latin. English, Spanish, and any
other language.
First Drama by Rizal
After writing the poem To My Fellow
Children, Rizal, who was then eight years
old, wrote his first dramatic work which
was a Tagalog comedy. It is said that it
was staged in a Calamba festival and was
delightfully applauded by the audience.
Conclusion:
Jose Rizal's early childhood in Calamba was an
important part of his life and legacy.
His experiences in the city helped shape his views
and values, which he used to fight for justice and
freedom.
Thank You for
listening!