Sinulog

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sinulog Festival Cebu City

The Sinulog-Santo Niño Festival is an annual cultural and religious festival held on the third
Sunday of January in Cebu City, and is the centre of the Santo Niño Catholic celebrations in the
Philippines.
The festival is considered to be first of most popular festivals in the Philippines, with every
celebration of the festival routinely attracting around 1 to 2 million people from all over the
Philippines every year.[1] Aside from the religious aspect of the festival, Sinulog is also famous for
its street parties, usually happening the night before and the night of the main festival. [2]

Procession
 Fluvial Pro cession

Other places like Kabankalan City, Iloilo City, Aklan, Maasin City, Balingasag Misamis
Oriental, Cagayan de Oro City, Butuan City, and Southern Leyte also have their own version of the
festival in honor of Santo Niño.

Contents
[hide]

 1Events and highlights

 2Etymology

 3History

o 3.1Arrival of López de Legazpi

o 3.2Letter to the King of Spain

 4Today

 5Sinulog coat of arms

 6List of Sinulog Winners

o 6.1Sinulog Based Category

 7References

 8External links

Events and highlights[edit]

One of the main highlights of the festival is the grand street parade which lasts for 9 to 12 hours
(practically the entire day) with participants coming from the different towns and cities of Cebu and
from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao across the Philippines. The Sinulog dance contingents are
dressed in bright coloured costumes dancing gracefully to the rhythm of drums, trumpet and native
gongs. Smaller versions of the festival are held in various parts of the province, also to celebrate and
honor the Santo Niño. There is also a "Sinulog sa Kabataan" performed by the youths of Cebu a
week before the parade. Recently, the festival has been promoted as a tourist attraction, with a
contest featuring contingents from various parts of the country. The Sinulog Contest is usually held in
the Cebu City Sports Complex. The Sinulog Festival competition is divided into three (3) categories
namely the Street Dancing Category, Free Interpretation and Sinulog base categories. The free
interpretation category has the most number of participating contingents coming from outside Cebu.
The dance steps are fast and the storyline and theme varies from folkloric, mythical and historical
lines. The Sinulog-based category centers more on the Sinulog ritual dance worship and the
choreography is more "formal" the dance steps depicts the prayer dance which is the true identity of
the Sinulog ritual dance. The Sinulog-based participants wear Filipiniana and Hispanic inspired
costumes. The Grand Champion of the Free Interpretation, Street Dancing, and Sinulog base
categories wins one million pesos (P1,000,000.00) respectively. The Sinanduloy Dance Troupe of
Tangub City, Misamis Occidental is a consistent winner in the Sinulog-based category. Carcar City of
Cebu also proved their mastery of the Sinulog dance and they always end within the top 5 places in
the Sinulog Competition. The famous Lumad Basakanon dance contingent of Basak San Nicolas,
Cebu City has won several Free Interpretation titles in Sinulog and made history when they were
elevated to the Aliwan Fiesta Hall of Fame for winning the national streetdancing championship
during Aliwan Fiesta 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2014. Sinulog Festival showcases the most number of
participants and the best choreographic exhibition of any festival in the Philippines. The Sinulog
celebration lasts for nine days, culminating on the final day with the Sinulog Grand Parade. The day
before the parade, the religious Fluvial Procession sponsored by the Archdiocese of Cebu is held at
dawn with a statue of the Santo Niño carried on a beautifully decorated boat which sails
from Mandaue City to Cebu City, decked with hundreds of flowers and candles. The procession ends
at the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino de Cebu where a re-enactment of the baptism to the Christian
faith (that is, the acceptance of Roman Catholicism) of Cebu is performed. In the afternoon, a more
solemn procession takes place along with the major streets of Cebu City, which last for hours due to
large crowd participation in the event.

Etymology[edit]
This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this
section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be
challenged and removed. (September 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this
template message)

The word Sinulog comes from the Cebuano adverb sulog which roughly means "like water current
movement;" it describes the forward-backward movement of the Sinulog dance. The dance consists
of two steps forward and one step backward, done to the sound of drums. The dance is categorized
into Sinulog-base, Free-Interpretation, and street dancing. Candle vendors at the Basilica continue
to perform the traditional version of the dance when lighting a candle for the customer, usually
accompanied by songs in the native language.
Sinulog is the ritual prayer-dance honoring Señor Santo Niño or the Child Jesus. An image of the
Child Jesus is said to be the baptismal gift the Portuguese conquistador Ferdinand Magellan gave
Hara Amihan (Humanay) of Zebu (now Cebu) in April 1521. The image, believed to be miraculous, is
housed at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño in downtown Cebu City.
The Sinulog dance moves are basically two steps forward and one step backward as the dancer
sways to a distinct rhythm of drums. This movement resembles the current (Sulog) of what was
known as Cebu’s Pahina River.
According to historical accounts, the Zebu natives already danced the Sinulog in honor of their
animist idols long before the arrival of Magellan who led a Spanish expedition on April 7, 1521.
Magellan did not live long after he introduced Christianity. He died in a failed assault on nearby
Mactan island at the hands of a local chieftain named Lapu-Lapu.
Survivors of Magellan's expedition left behind the image to be discovered 44 years later.
The expedition led by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi bombarded the native settlement when they arrived
on April 28, 1565. In one of the burning huts, one of Legaspi's men, Juan Camus, discovered the
image of the Santo Niño inside a wooden box beside other idols. This time however, Legaspi
discovered that the natives already dance the Sinulog honoring the Santo Niño. [3]
Today the Sinulog commemorates the Filipino people's acceptance of Christianity (specifically,
Roman Catholicism), and their rejection of their former animist beliefs. The first of these conversions
happened in 1521 on the island of Cebu, when Rajah Humabon and his queen Amihan (Humamay)
were baptized along with their subjects, becoming Carlos and Juana of Cebu.

History[edit]
This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this
section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be
challenged and removed. (September 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this
template message)

On March 16, 1521, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived and planted the cross on
the shores of Cebu, claiming the territory for Spain. He presented the image of the Child Jesus, the
Rajah Humabon. Hara Humamay (or Amihan in some versions) was later named, Queen Juana in
honor of Juana, mother of Carlos I. Along with the rulers of the island, some 800 natives were also
baptized to the Roman Catholic Church. At the moment of receiving the holy image, it was said that
Queen Juana danced with joy bearing this image of the child Jesus. With the other natives following
her example, this moment was regarded as the first Sinulog.
This event is frequently used as basis for most Sinulog dances, which dramatize the coming of the
Spaniards and the presentation of the Santo Niño to the Queen. A popular theme among Sinulog
dances is Queen Juana holding the Santo Niño in her arms and using it to bless her people who
were often afflicted with sickness believed to be caused by demons and other evil spirits.
The Sinulog dance steps are believed to originate from Rajah Humabon's adviser, Baladhay. It was
during Humabon's grief when Baladhay fell sick. Humabon ordered his native tribe to bring Baladhay
into a room where the Santo Niño was enthroned, along with the other pagan gods of the native
Cebuanos. After a few days passed, Baladhay was heard shouting and was found dancing with
utmost alertness. Baladhay was questioned as to why was he awake and shouting. Pointing to the
image of the Santo Niño, Baladhay explained that he had found on top of him a small child trying to
wake him and tickling him with the midrib of the coconut. Greatly astonished, he scared the child
away by shouting. The little child got up and started making fun of Baladhay. In turn, Baladhay
danced with the little child and explained that he was dancing the movements of the river. To this
day, the two-steps forward, one-step backward movement is still used by Santo Niño devotees who
believe that it was the Santo Niño's choice to have Baladhay dance.
Arrival of López de Legazpi[edit]
This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this
section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be
challenged and removed. (September 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this
template message)

The Augustinian friars that accompanied López de Legazpi in his expedition proclaimed the statue
performed miracles and built a church on the site where it was found. The church was called San
Agustin Church, later renamed to Basilica Minore del Santo Niño.
Letter to the King of Spain[edit]
After Juan Camus found the Santo Niño in the burning village, López de Legazpi was said to have
included the incident in his report, entitled "Relation of Voyage to the Philippine Islands":
"Your Excellency should know that on that day when we entered this village (Cebu City), one
of the soldiers went into a large and well-built house of an indio where he found an image of
the Child Jesus (whose most holy name I pray may be universally worshipped). This was
kept in its cradle, all gilded, just as if it were brought from Spain: and only the little cross,
 which is generally placed upon the globe in his hands, was lacking. The image was well kept
in that house, and many flowers were found before it, and no one knows for what object or
purpose. The soldier bowed down before it with all reverence and wonder, and brought the
image to the place where the other soldiers were. I pray to the Holy Name of his image,
which we found here, to help us and to grant us victory, in order that these lost people who
are ignorant of the precious and rich treasure, which was in their possession, may come to
knowledge to him."

Today[edit]
Since the 16th century, there is great devotion to the Santo Niño in Philippine popular piety,
particularly in the Visayas. Pilgrims from different parts of Cebu and the rest of the Philippines
make their yearly journey to the church to take part in the procession and festival. Starting in
1980, the Cebu City government organized the Sinulog Festival and eventually gave incentives
also to tribal dance groups. The first Sinulog parade was held in 1980, organized by Dávid
Odilao, then Regional Director of the Ministry of Sports, and Youth Development. The parade
was composed of students dressed in Moro costumes, dancing the Sinulog to the beating of
drums.
The idea caught and thus, under the direction of the Cebu City Mayor Florentino Solon with the
help of several influential Cebuanos, Odilao turned over the Sinulog project to the Cebu City
Historical Committee under Kagawad Jesus Garcia. It was the task of the Committee to
conceptualize the Sinulog festival and make it into a yearly event from then on.
In 1981 the following year, the concept of the Sinulog Parade was actualized involving not just
Cebu but also representatives from other provinces in the Philippines . Marking its difference
from another popular festival, the Ati-Atihan in Aklan, the Sinulog focuses not on the ritual itself
but on the historical aspects of the dance, which, as it has been said, represents the link the
country's embrace of Christian faith.
2010-2014 Peace and Order during Sinulog celebration was an issue for years. Gangs and
fraternity wars were rampant during night times. The organization of AITF under the leadership
of PCI Franz Georsua became the key to a peaceful and more meaningful celebration after
controlling most of the street crimes during the said event.

Sinulog coat of arms[edit]

 The coat of arms as part of the Sinulog Foundation logo

The Cebu City Historical Committee, which was responsible for the conceptualization of the
Sinulog as a provincial event, decided to adopt a logo for the Sinulog to identify it as an
institutionalized yearly event. They turned to the coat of arms of the Santo Niño which consisted
of a two-headed hawk that was the mark of the ruling House of Habsburg in Europe. The
emblem represented the twin purpose of the Habsburg dynasty as "Champion of Catholicism
and Defender of the Faith." At the time when Spain sent expeditions to the Philippines, they
were under the Habsburg dynasty. The committee viewed that using the image of the Santo
Niño as part of the symbol as sacrilege.[4]
The Sinulog committee then incorporated the two-headed eagle to a native warrior's shield. The
native shield is supposed to symbolize the Philippines resistance to colonization while the Santo
Niño's coat of arms printed on its face represented the country's acceptance of Roman
Catholicism.[citation