Sapatus
Did the Three Kings leave gifts on your shoes last night? Filipino children traditionally believe that the Three Kings would bring gifts to them on Three Kings’ Day! So they bring out their polished shoes and place them on the windows or under the Christmas tree on the eve of Epiphany for the Three Kings to fill them with goodies!
The Kapampángan & Tagálog words for “shoe” come from the plural Spanish word for “shoe”, but take note that this is one of several Spanish loanwords borrowed in the plural form that does not indicate any number in Kapampángan & Tagálog!
SAPÁTUS • (suh-PAH-toos)
shoe
Tagálog (Filipino) sapátos)
Etymology
From Spanish zapatos, plural of zapato (“shoe”)
Note: This is an example of a Kapampángan and Tagálog word that comes from the plural form of a Spanish noun. These words are not plural unless given a plural marker (ding in Kapampángan, mgá in Tagálog)
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