Beautiful events,then Valentine

So they have quickly passed by—Christmas and the Sinulog of the Santo Niño de Cebu. Two beautiful events closely coming one after another. Two colorful events that yearly color the minds and hearts of Cebuanos.

Serious Christians that they are, Christmas to Cebuanos is an event that uplifts the spirit as it contemplates the coming of the Messiah with his message of love. And what great love is there than to savor the season in the camaraderie of relatives and friends?

Camaraderie of course comes in too in the solemnity and gayety of the feast day of the Santo Niño. As they come together in swarms after swarms of worshippers singing “kanamo malooy ka unta..” and as they stream like flash flood of men and women during the religious procession, a kind of mystic togetherness prevails.

Sobriety… piety, then an explosion of movements, music and magic — the Sinulog festival! What madness drives a people to such phenomenal frenzy? What’s passion propels the crowd into moments of unrestrained revelry?

From far and near they come with music clinging to their feet, with dreams of glory and accolade. And the beholders too, they come from islands and inland realms, poorly shod or richly shod, simply clad or nicely clad, their mood vibrating to one beat, one dance — Pit Senyor, kang Tatay kini! Pit Senyor kang Nanay kini. For even as they feast in colors and tunes the thought of loved ones always prevails. Cebuano talaga!

Yes, a Cebuano is never completely off his balance. Reminds one of these: “We look before and after, / and pine for what is not/ Our sincerest laughter with some pain is fraught, / Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thoughts!” No matter how joy-filled the occasion is there is always a shadow of sorrow that lurks at the back of his mind. Call him a kill joy or what, but you can never entice him to go headlong into the vortex of merry-making.

Even in the affairs of the heart — and days from now comes Valentine’s day — the Cebuano always has reservations. Is it any wonder that his sweetest love songs are of the “mahay” type? “Matud nila ako dili angay, nga magmanggad sa imong gugma…” Or “Pagkapait diay nga bation ning dughan / Diin ang gugma ta way kagawasan…” Or “ Daw dahon nga laya, napulak gipadpad,/Sama sa damgo nga inigmata mahana,/  Nahisama ay ang gugma ko karon…” And so on and on ….

 These are old, old songs of course and the young in today’s generation may no longer have the “mahay” mindset. But don’t they?? If one listens carefully to the lyrics in their current tunes, especially those composed under the Pop Music tilt of Congressman Eddie Gullas, the same element of sadness prevails in contemporary Cebu music. Look at these popular pieces; “Langit Ug Yuta.” “Sama Sa Usa Ka Damgo,” “Kausa Nabasa Ang Tubig,” and others,

But why is the Cebuano always sad even in the midst of joyful moments? Is it because he has too much of the Christian mysticism in his blood?  Most likely, because a Christ-centered believer is never at home with the ways of the world. My kingdom, says Jesus, is not of this world. That’s why a believer’s feet may be on the ground but his thoughts are with the clouds. These are thoughts about a life after this one, a place of pure joy and peace. But just as Jesus had to go though the passion of the Cross, so must every Christian believer.

Valentine’s day ought to remind us of that passion. Love is its inspiration. Love with its varied dimensions, worldly or otherworldly, yet inspired by a search for the inner self,   which according to Saint Tomas Aquinas, tends to be restless until it rests in the Lord.

On this year’s Valentine’s day would you find your inner self?