Faithful journey

CEBU, Philippines - It’s one journey that people take on every year.  They come to Cebu for the celebration of the feast day of Santo Niño. Some are attracted by the grandiose merrymaking; others do it as gesture of faith.

The different social and cultural events that have since characterized the Sinulog Festival are a big attraction indeed. The parties, the shows, everything. The festive mood is so inviting, so contagious.

Everyone seems so lighthearted; happy faces are all around. The lightheartedness of some at times goes to extremes, to the discomfort of others. But it’s okay; it’s fiesta anyway.

But there are also those who are drawn to the city at this time for a completely different reason. They come to pay homage to the Santo Nino. And their journey is often not easy.

Yesterday at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño an old woman was murmuring words behind a giant concrete post at the Pilgrim Center. She looked so absorbed in her throughts and oblivious to the dense multitude of people around. She was not even attentive to the Mass that was ongoing at the time.

The woman was modestly dressed. She only had rubber slippers for footwear. She probably had to scrimp for and on this trip to the city. She probably had to sacrifice a lot for it – and certainly didn’t mind.

Who knows what inconvenience and discomforts did she have to go through just to get here? She’s not the only one, for sure.  There are certainly many, many others like her who would insist in coming here for the Fiesta Señor even if Cebu City were at war.

And the contingents that participate in the Sinulog Parade may not only be doing it for fun. It is definitely not fun traversing kilometers of the parade route under fierce sun or pouring rain. Many of the dancers would have to do without footwear. In and by itself, participating in the parade is already such an ordeal, more so if the months of preparation are factored in.

Okay, not everyone murmuring prayers at the Basilica or daring the rain or scorching sun at the Sinulog Parade is doing it out of overflowing faith – but among their ranks are those that take it seriously as their way of communing with God. These are the ones who consider their coming to Cebu for the fiesta as their opportunity to get close enough to the Santo Niño, to whisper to Him the innermost yearnings of their hearts. Lelund Arnejo   (FREEMAN)