Miss Universe just concluded last Monday, but the pageant season is not over yet. Miss World will be holding its coronation night this Friday in Puerto Rico. The pageant released the contestants’ national costumes yesterday for the preliminaries—and can we just say, wow.
The Philippines bet Tracy Maureen Perez showed everyone up with a stunning tribute to the moon goddess Mayari.
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“Hailed as the most beautiful deity, she has complete dominion of the world at night. The moon has been revered as a celestial being by most ancient civilizations in antiquity. Apart from its mysterious allure, it has also been thought to have great cosmic influence on the mortal realm,” Perez wrote about the goddess.
While Perez’s previous national costume entry may have been controversial, the intricate piece, replete with flowers, tassels, and layers upon layers of beads and pearls, was a unanimous hit.
The designer behind the costume was Cebu City’s Axel Que, who co-created Beatrice Luigi Gomez’s equally elaborate Bakunawa-inspired costume for Miss Universe.
Who is Mayari?
As Perez mentioned, Mayari is known as one of the most beautiful celestial deities. A Kapampangan and Tagalog goddess, she is said to be a daughter of Bathala and the personification of the moon. In many variations of her myth, she bravely fought her brother, the sun god Apo Laki, for equal dominion of the world. While she won, she lost an eye in the process, and that is why the moon is dimmer than the sun.
Mayari was not just beautiful, she was strong—strong enough to best a war god in battle. It’s great to see our mythology be represented on an international stage, especially when it’s a piece of mythology that symbolizes strong women.
Photo courtesy of Tracy Perez’s Instagram account
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