The country’s grandest religious festivity that revolved around a single beat and one dance has become an important trademark of the fiesta celebrations in Cebu City. It has also become a crucial venue where Cebuanos can display their undying devotion to the Señor Santo Niño.
Such form of homage to the Holy Child is again manifested when thousands troop to the streets to witness today’s Sinulog. What had been a drumbeat and a bunch of simple steps that jazzed up the street has metamorphosed into a famous dance that draws thousands from all over the world every year.
Sinulog has come a long way. Since its simple inception in 1980, the festival has grown in leaps and bounds through the years, progressing into the city’s biggest tourist attraction with pilgrims from other places in the country regularly coming to witness the annual event.
Of course, it is undeniable that the festival’s unprecedented growth can largely be attributed to the success of its commercial aspect, thanks to the astute marketing drive by the people behind it, especially those from the city government and tourism industry.
Today, hundreds of thousands of devotees and tourists will go out and invade the streets to witness the 39th edition of the Sinulog, dubbed by the Department of Tourism as the mother of all festivals in the country.
For Cebuanos and the visiting devotees, the Sinulog holds a significant meaning that is vital to their devotion to the Señor Santo Niño. It is, for them, the highest act of homage to the Holy Child whose image holds a special place in their hearts.
For tourists – both foreign and local – it is time to witness an event that has made a huge impact on the lives of Cebuanos. Sinulog, born out of Cebuanos’ genuine religious practices, has become a distinct cultural revolution that has greatly helped shape their spiritual lives.
Yes, Sinulog is just part of today’s fiesta celebrations. However, those dances and the beating of the drum are just a sincere manifestation of Cebuanos’ unparalleled faith in the Holy Child.
Pit Señor!