SINULOG 2009

The Sinulog festival is one of the grandest and most colorful festivals in the Philippines. The main festival is held each year on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City to honor the Santo Niño, or the child Jesus. (Santo Niño is the patron saint of the whole province of Cebu.) The festival features some the country's most colorful displays of pomp and pageantry: participants garbed in bright-colored costumes dance to the rhythm of drums. Sinulog came from the Cebuano adverb for "like water current movement".
The celebration lasts for nine days. On Sunday, the ninth day, the Sinulog grand parade unfolds. A solemn procession takes place in which hundreds of thousands, all devotees of the patron, participate. Earlier in the day, a grand and colorful water-parade is held from the Mandaue City wharf to Cebu City wharf.
“Pit Senyor kang Mama kini, Pit Senyor kang Papa kini..” is the chant completing devotees’ offering dance of Sinulog in honor of the miraculous Santo Niño.
A pageantry of faith, a festival held in honor of the Santo Nino, celebrating the origin of the island of Cebu–this is Sinulog.
Sinulog is a dance ritual in honor of the miraculous image of the Santo Niño. The dance moves two steps forward and one step backward to the sound of the drums. This movement resembles the current (Sulog) of what was known as Cebu’s Pahina River. Thus, in Cebuano, it’s Sinulog.
Historians say that Sinulog is the link between the country’s pagan past and its Christian present.
Historical accounts say before Portuguese navigator came to Cebu on April 7, 1521 to plant the cross on its shore and claim the country for the King of Spain, Sinulog was already danced by the natives in honor of their wooden idols and anitos.
Then Magellan came and introduced Christianity. He gave the Santo Niño (image of the Child Jesus) as baptismal gift to Hara Amihan, wife of Cebu’s Rajah Humabon who was later named Queen Juana. At that time, not only the rulers were baptized but also about 800 of their subjects.
I haven’t witness the water parade but I have so many pics to showcase during the float parade.