History plus Culture equals Sinulog Festival
The country’s grandest and most colorful festival had just started.
Yes, the annual celebration of Sinulog Festival in the province of Cebu has once again awed the Filipinos and foreigners who came to watch the show. Essentially, Sinulog Festival is a dance ritual which remembers the Filipino people’s pagan past and their acceptance of Christianity.
Mainly celebrated with a grand parade where the image of Sto. Nino (child Jesus) was carried to another church; the festival is a unique representation of the Cebuanos’ devotion to the holy child. It has always been the festival’s tradition to have Sto. Nino visit his parents before the grand day, so from Basilica del Sto. Nino, it is transferred to the St. Joseph parish in Mandaue City where the image will stay for 24 hours to reunite with his foster father.
While Sinulog is a celebration of Filipinos independence to paganism, the festival also highlights the country’s most colorful displays of pomp and pageantry. Street-dancing competition was also witnessed, wherein contingents from various parts of the country compete in bright-colored costumes and dance to the rhythm of drums, trumpets and native gongs.
This historic event has also become a tourist attraction as Filipinos all over the country gather to show-off their talents and culture. While tourists around the world came to experience the fun and excitement the festival has to offer. Aside from the colorful and festive dancing, there is also the Sinulog’s SME trade fair that features Cebu export quality products where people round the globe flock on the treasures that are Cebu.
Also witnessed in the celebration was Sinulog sa Kabataan mainly performed by the youths of Cebu. This event was a two part celebration which includes marathon, football cup, cultural show and concerts.
The festival will also hold a chess tournament, “Cebu Chess Festival”, tagged as the World’s Largest Chess Tournament. Aside from this, they will also conduct photo and short film/video documentary contest featuring the prosperous culture of Cebu. The festival will end with a bang as winners of the photo contest will be displayed and exhibited in SM City Cebu.
Sinulog festival is a month-long celebration of the rich culture and history of Christianity in the city. It all started when Ferdinand Magellan, after arriving in the Philippine land, gave the wooden Sto. Nino to the wife of Rajah Humabon, Cebu’s cheiftain. From then, the image of Sto. Nino became the emblem of friendship, taking and conversion to Christianity of the natives. It was later kept and housed in the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino and San Nicholas de Tolentino Church, and the rest was history.
Due to successful show and series of events the festival produces every year, the feast will certainly lasts as it continuously gain more and more attraction from all over the world. As Sinulog Festival became a hit, still the purpose of it remains: Filipinos had the chance to embrace Christianity. May we all live up to that! Viva! Pit! Senyor!
Experience this joyous, fun, loud, color-filled and one of the grandest events in the country, as it continues to bring pride to the Filipino culture. Check out the festival’s schedule now!http://sinulog.ph/index.php/schedule-of-activities-2012/
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