Every year, Kapampangans go through Maledo, the height of the sun’s anger. During this time, the God of Dawn Munag Sumala, who poses as the Pampanga River, loses water and dries up. Little do people know, it is from this happening that the origin of Rooster fights, or Sabung, began, as it was used to predict the return of rain.

Once, there was an affair between Munag Sumala and the Water God Lakandanum. During a drought, Munag Sumala’s husband, the rooster Manalastas, was sacrificed to appease Lakandanum. With the return of the rainy season, the river is brought back to life, marking Bayung Danum, the Kapampangan New Year, and the start of the rice planting season.