Sinulog 2011 in Cebu City
Of all the festivities that Filipinos celebrate, Sinulog is one of the most popular festivals. The celebration is held in the queen city of the southern part of Philippines, Cebu city.
Thousands of tourists from all over the world visit Cebu City to witness the city’s richest festival. From street dancing to parties, discos, and foods. There is no way you will not feel the spirit and the energy with all the people gathering together dancing and singing. People from different walks of life join together every third Sunday of the month of January to celebrate Sinulog.
The word Sinulog comes from the Cebuano adverb sulog which is "like water current movement," which 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. 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.
The Sinulog dance steps were believed to originate from Rajah Humabon's adviser, Baladhay. It was during Humabon's grief when Baladhay was driven sick. He then ordered his native tribe to bring Baladhay into a chapel where the Santo Niño was enthroned. Moments later, surprisingly, Baldhay was heard shouting and was found dancing with utmost alertness. Baladhay was questioned as to whether was he awake and was shouting.
Baladhay explained that he found a small child, pointing to the image of the Santo Niño, on top of him and trying to wake him up. He, at great astonishment, scared the child away by shouting but couldn't explain why he was dancing the movements of the river. Up to this day, the two-steps forward, and the one-step backward movement dance is still used by the Santo Niño devotees believing that it was the Santo Niño's choice to have Baladhay dance.
The Sinulog festival is one of the grandest and most colorful festivals in the Philippines with a very rich history. The main festival is held to honor the Santo Niño, or the child Jesus, who used to be the patron saint of the whole province of Cebu (since in the Catholic faith Jesus is not a saint, but God). It is essentially a dance ritual which remembers the Filipino people’s pagan past and their acceptance of Christianity.
Recently, the cultural event has been commercialized as a tourist attraction and instead of traditional street-dancing from locals, Sinulog also came to mean a contest featuring contingents from various parts of the country. The Sinulog Contest is traditionally held in the Cebu City Sports Complex, where most of Cebu’s major provincial events are held.
To know more about Sinulog 2011 and other details like schedule of activities for the festivity, visit its official website through http://www.sinulog.ph/. Experience Sinulog 2011 and be part of history. Viva Pit Senior! (Jade Sanchez)
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