CEBU, Philippines - The Santo Niño devotion is, indeed, a famous spiritual heritage spread all throughout the Philippines and there are Filipinos who unquestionably attribute the miraculous powers of the infant Jesus, locally known as the Santo Niño even to the simplest of things.
Here in Cebu, for example, faith (or call it belief) in the power and benevolence of the Sto. Niño in princely robe is elemental to whatever happens in the locality.
And since Santo Niño is a much-revered figure in our local history as in the case of the Santo Niño de Cebu (a gift given by Magellan to Queen Juana, wife of Rajah Humabon of Cebu as form of alliance), it also figures quite prominently in the history of the city and the province.
The stories (can be mere myths, urban legends, or purely divine) playing around the Santo Niño have a distinct human interest angle in the Catholic faithful as they usually involve the booming of business, healing of the sick, passing of the board exam, resolution of marital problems, among others.
This would possibly explain why many Catholic devotees have transformed the Santo Niño into a work of art—perhaps a doll to play around with to serve as the hapless model of their creation and what can only be surmised as towering fashion innovation.
My visits to Sto. Niño exhibits over the years, compounded by the influence of boob tube and in print media proved to be a trail of unsuspecting visual extravaganza.
I have never seen so many Santo Niño icons displayed in wide array in those sessions and believe me, there are varied representations of the Holy Child according to artists, artisans, sculptors and image carvers.
Some of the images were obviously antique and were donated from collectors who have devoted their time encapsulating Sto. Niño icons which are truly priceless.
The images come in as many forms as there are needs of man. When he is clad in his most popular garment color red, he could be said to be the child deity of general needs
And then there were images that were bedecked with precious jewels—truly exquisite works of art. In a visit to the Sto. Niño Musem, I have seen gold pieces, pearls and jade encrusted in the crown and cape of the images. Some of the pieces were just placed in a glass together with other donated items like wristwatch, rings, pendants, perfume bottles and even toys.
I wondered if Sto. Niño would have felt comfy wearing gems, ornaments and extended fabric. Having studied the icons at close range, it seems like he has become a symbol of royalty, which for me, a contradictory image of simplicity, or forgive my lack of words, humility.
But I don’t blame Sto. Niño for that matter. I know he has never obliged the church (or the donors) to let Him wear such expensive clothing. In one of my interviews with Monsignor Renato C. Beltran, Jr., Papal Chaplain of the Archdiocese of Cebu, he said there is “more than what meets the eye”.
He said that people should look more deeply on the values of a child through the Sto. Niño who is the titular figure of the Catholic Church. Innocence, for one, is the greatest value we can learn from the Holy Child.
But over and above the quantity and quality of the images on display, what was alarming was the way these images have become models (or victims at some point) of fashion sense, aesthetics, or unrestrained gusto on the part of devotees (who obviously dressed them up) or the ones manufacturing them (who obviously either followed the designer or left with their own discretion).
There are Santo Niño images dressed to look like a basketball player, carpenter, baker, farmer, motorcycle driver, fireman, fisherman and a school boy. It seems that while other saints (every one knows He is not a saint or a patron, though) have one distinct look, the Holy Child has been assigned literally and figuratively to be jack of all trades.
Normally, the Santo Niño image would be carrying a globe on one hand and a scepter on the other but in some exhibits, some of the icons carry objects that one can think of—a basket of fruits, a freshly-caught fish, a ball, a stem of flower, a rosary bead, and a crucifix. I have yet to see a Santo Niño carrying a shovel or boxing gloves. By then, Sto. Niño would represent what Filipinos love—boxing.
The late Senator Robert Barbers who when he was still a police general had an image of the Sto. Niño don a police uniform. There is also a Santo Niño dressed as NBI agent and a Santo Niño dressed as a ship captain.
Filipinos love to give Sto. Niño different titles. There is this Sto. Niño Sumasayaw which is said to have a penchant for dancing and a Sto. Nino Lagalag believed to love stepping down from its pedestal to wander into amorseko fields and play all day long.
There are also images of Santo Niño de Palaboy (a street child infant Jesus) which is dedicated to the country’s many street urchins. They are dressed in ordinary house clothes such as shorts and sleeveless tops.
A Santo Niño clad in ordinary clothes is more politically correct than a Santo Niño dressed in princely robes wearing a crown of jewels. But I can not impose my judgment to everyone, since it is casual to say that different folks have different strokes.
Usually, a Santo Niño image would be standing upright. In the exhibits, there are Santo Niño images riding a motorcycle, on a swing, on a see-saw, reclining indolently on a couch; and a sleeping Sto. Niño.
The Santo Niños clad in uniforms are self-explanatory (they are dressed up according to the inclinations of the owner), but the images dressed in a floor-length garment complete with a train and a shawl, or overly decorated gown or in fabrics in bright color is too much. It should be known that Sto. Niño is male, thus, it is but appropriate to dress him up as such. But I can be wrong, what is appropriate for me does not necessarily mean suitable for others.
I pray that the Santo Niño has a great sense of understanding and looks at this fashion sacrilege as plainly human attempt to address their worshipping tactics. It is just strange that people assign a child (and a God at that) personalities which, in stricter terms, are way too impossible for the Child Jesus to live up, perhaps, assume (come on fellows, He is just a child).
But I have nothing against dressing up Sto. Niño in many possible ways to complement our peculiarities and idiosyncrasies as devotees. I respect the personal devotion of Filipinos to give honor to the Child Jesus whether they venerate darkly hued images or the icons who have fair complexion. It is quite reassuring that Cebuanos do not really clothe Sto. Niño the way others do.
I know that all these are reflective of the fondness of Sto. Niño and that there is no accounting for piousness and for that matter, fashion sense. But perhaps it is good idea to remind people that the Santo Niño is not a doll that you can play around with or assign fabrics. There should be a demarcation line between religious devotion or devotion just to cater one’s whims and caprices.
Still, Viva Pit Senyor! — /MEEV (FREEMAN NEWS)