Carmen's 34th Sinulog

It has been the tradition for other places to celebrate their own Sinulog after Cebu City’s grand fiesta in honor of the Child God.

The Municipality of Carmen is no stranger to this tradition. In fact, it claims to be the first to perform the ritual some 34 years ago, when a priest from Iloilo became their parish priest and introduced the Sinulog to them, which was patterned after the Ati-Atihan of Aklan.

Today, people still flock the streets covered in paint or soot to relive that age-old custom.

A total of 11 contingents competed during Carmen’s 34th Sinulog. Spearheaded by Mayor Sonia Capua, the celebration had clusters of performers marching as groups in the blazing heat of the Sunday sun and converged at the town’s plaza where the stationary showdown took place.

This year, there were no visiting contingents for the Open category.

The victors were Dawis Sur in first place and Best in Costume, Cogon East in second place and Cogon West in third place. Barangay Luyang, who failed to land in the top three, won Best in Streetdancing.

Cebu City’s Sinulog, with its lavish display of colorful costumes, ingenious props display and energetic performance, came to be known as the Sinulog Grand Parade. The term mardi gras does not apply to this processional parade since “mardi gras” connotes something sexy as it is synonymous with Rio de Janiero’s “farewell to the flesh,” a festive carnival parade observed just before the Lenten season. Sinulog, on the other hand, is a religious-cultural endeavor that is done with traditional conservativeness, fervent faith and an advocacy for one beat, one dance and one vision.