"TAIGUENNAO MOHON" OR "AMEN?"

 

How should we end our prayers in Chamorro?

You hear "Amen" a lot of the times but sometimes you hear "Taiguennao mohon."

A lot of people aren't even sure what "taiguennao mohon" means.

Guess what? It means "amen!"

Well, what does "amen" mean?

"Amen" was the Hebrew word used to end prayers. It means "so be it, may it be so, truly" and things like that.

When a congregation responds with an "amen" to what a priest or prayer leader says, it's the congregation's way of agreeing with the prayer just said and making that prayer said by someone else their own as well.

TAIGUENNAO means "that way."

MOHON is a word that can express desire, or a possibility that hasn't happened yet.

TAIGUENNAO MOHON means "may it be that way." Which is what "amen" means.

So both "amen" and "taiguennao mohon" mean the same, exact thing. One is based on Hebrew, and the other is Chamorro.

OTHER LANGUAGES, TOO....

"Amen" can also be said in the native language in many countries around the world.

Some Spanish speakers say "así sea" instead of "amen," because "así sea" in Spanish means "that way (así) may it be (sea)."

In Italian it's così sia. In French it's ainsi soit-il. They both mean "may it be that way" which is what "amen" means.

Many languages end their prayers with "amen" and sometimes they end it with "may it be so" in their own language.

Most times, people all over the world end their prayers with "amen" and for this main reason. It's shorter and faster to say than "may it be so."

FLEXIBILITY IN CHAMORRO

In Chamorro, people can end their prayers saying either "amen" or "taiguennao mohon."

Even in Påle' Román's prayer books, he sometimes ends the prayer with "amen" and sometimes he ends the prayer with "taiguennao mohon."

For me, "amen" goes better with something like making the sign of the cross. "Gi na'an i Tata, yan i Lahi-ña yan i Espiritu Sånto. Amen." "Amen" is a quick ending to a short prayer. For a longer prayer, I might use "taiguennao mohon."

One good thing about using "taiguennao mohon" is that it makes clear what "amen" means. That is, of course, assuming you know the Chamorro language, which a lot of Chamorros don't nowadays.