“May Day Eve,” written by Nick Joaquin, is about two single lovers who believed that by looking in the mirror and then chanting an incantation, you would see the person you would marry if all went well. If not, you will see the ‘devil’ or the ‘witch’. This tale was written in 1947, where legends and superstitions such as devils and witches were probably common. This contributes greatly to the theme of the story: the rash decision to believe in superstitions. Agueda, Badoy, his daughter and Voltaire were based on superstitions.

Agueda, one of the main characters, was naive. She thought the superstition was true since he heard it and learned it from a veteran, Old Anatasia. She was curious and wanted to know if it was true or not. She disobeyed the elders saying, “I don’t care! I’m not afraid! I’ll go!” and she then ran away without another word. (paragraph 17) she Over time she met Badoy and in the end she married him because, according to the incantation, “if all goes well, the face of the man you will marry will appear just above your shoulder.” (paragraph 16)

Voltaire, Badoy’s grandson, also believed in superstitions at his young age. His grandfather caught him looking in the mirror near the end of the story. “The boys at school said that he would see her (his future wife) if he looked at me in a mirror tonight…”, he argued. (Paragraph 28) This leads to the conclusion that when people are young, they believe easily and can make rash decisions.

Due to these acts, it leads to bitter endings. Águeda regretted not being married to Badoy saying that she saw the “devil” in her daughter while she was telling him what had happened that night. (paragraph 21) Badoy also regretted marrying Agueda. At the end of the story, Badoy “had forgotten that she was dead, that she had perished”. (paragraph 47) he felt sorry and sad knowing that it was too late to change the past; Agueda was already dead and she couldn’t do anything about it. “Such a grievance tore his throat” and “the old man bent over sobbing so bitterly at the window.” (paragraph 48)

On the other hand, unlike Águeda and Badoy, Voltaire did not have a bitter end. He was caught in the middle of this superstition and it was a good thing. Badoy found him and scolded him by telling him of his own experiences seeing a ‘witch’ himself.

That short story “May Day Eve” was about hasty decisions, more specifically about relying on superstitions. Superstitions can lead to many kinds of paths. It may or may not be harmful. They can lead to big mistakes like marriages like the one Badoy and Agueda had. Nick Joaquin was able to give his readers a lesson in superstition. Superstitions are not always necessarily true. I admire him because through a simple story he was able to say a lot. He also made a double finish. For Voltaire it was not difficult since he stopped believing in superstition. For Badoy it was not easy because he cried and regretted his marriage to Águeda.