Sinulog

Hello dear read.cash readers.

The months of December and January has always been the busiest months for us, the Cebuanos.

Maybe for December, being the Christmas month, is also the busiest month around the world. People shops for gifts to give to their loved ones. Many will be preparing for their Christmas eve meal.

In Cebu, the tallest Christmas tree will be assembled around October and will be lighted on the first day of December. This is stationed at the Fuente Osmeña Circle in the uptown of Cebu. Many makeshift shops will also sprout during this month. Mostly these are food and drink stalls. A makeshift stage is also placed inside the circle. There will be a nightly entertainment that are being sponsored by the different barangays, schools, government agencies and companies. Every night of December, this area of the uptown Cebu is always buzzing with people.

But the celebration does not end by the end of December. The nightly shows continuous until the end of January as Cebu will be celebrating its biggest fiesta, the feast of the baby Jesus, Sr. Sto. Niño.

Per history, the image of the baby Jesus was brought to the Philippines, particularly in Cebu, by Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer. He organized a Spanish expedition which brought him to our islands. They brought with them Christianity to the Filipinos. It is said that the image is miraculous when during a fire the whole house was burned but the image remain undamaged and is still standing from where it was placed. Until present, this same image is still at the Sto. Niño Church.

Since then, the Cebuanos revered the image of the baby Jesus. They light candles and danced while murmuring their prayers. This is how the Sinulog came to be.

The festival is celebrated every third Sunday of January, but nine days before that, various celebrations come to life. On the first day of the Novena, a dawn walk with Mary is being held. This is a procession at around 4 in the morning.

On the dawn of the Feast day, a fluvial parade is being held. There are plenty of small boats that joins this parade. (sorry, I have no picture for this, as I was not able to wake up early and was not able to witness the parade this year) 😁

The novena ends with foot procession on the third Saturday of January. During this procession, thousands and thousands of devotees from all over the Philippines and the world comes to join procession.

A few pictures I took last January 2020 procession:

On Sunday, the Sinulog competition is being held.

Sinulog is a religious dance made popular by the candle vendors around the church. It is a two step forward and a step backward with the vendors waiving their candles while murmuring the prayers being requested by the devotees.

As early as November, we can already hear the sounds of the drums in tune of the Sinulog Dance as various contingents start their practice for the event.

This festival is the first and most popular festival in the Philippines and the biggest festival in Cebu.

Contingents from all over Philippines come to join the Sinulog.

Sad to say that all of these, except the novena masses, will be cancelled. And only a few can join the novena masses as social distancing is still in place.

Now all we can hope and pray is for this pandemic to end so we can have again this religious activities to honor the Infant Jesus, Sr. Sto. Niño.

I would have love to leave a short Sinulog dance that I was able to take a video last January, 2020 but I have error in uploading.

Viva Pit Senyor!