The Feast of Santo Niño and Sinulog 2024

Coming in from the December commemoration of his birth, the Feast of and the Sinulog Fiesta for Santo Niño are both celebrated on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City.

By 1980, Sinulog, the fiesta, was added to the sacred feast, the worship of and for the Holy Child Jesus, the beloved Santo Niño.

This secular fiesta is intended as a historical commemoration of the acceptance of Christianity in Cebu, when Queen Juana was gifted an image of the Infant Jesus of Prague during her baptism.

The account of a miraculous healing of King Humabon’s adviser before this statue of the Santo Niño and subsequent accounts of miraculous healings and answered prayers by the Santo Niño continue to be told and retold up to this day are part of the January feast and fiesta.

Worshippers/performers carrying the statue of the Santo Niño (in thanksgiving/worship and petition/devotion to the miraculous Santo Niño) move/dance along like “sinug” which means “water current movement” and shout “Pit Señor” which is short for the Cebuano “panangpit sa Señor” --“pray to the Infant Jesus.”

The secular Sinulog parade and performances serve to reenact/reflect the sacred dimension of the worship of and thanksgiving for the Santo Niño.

Until recently, those in Cebu City/Province, along with others from other parts of the country and the world, gathered together as one along the routes and areas designated for the Sinulog parade and performances.

Then, there was unity in the worship of the Santo Niño, in collectively planning, implementing, and enjoying the procession, parade/performances intended, again, for the Santo Niño, the worshippers and visitors

Sadly, politics, political preferences, decisions and alliances now mar the unity for the sacred worship of the Santo Niño.

If the place for the performances is the problem, is this secular, trivial issue bigger than the real sacred intent of worship for the Santo Niño?

Couldn’t the challenges related to the problematic designation of the performances have been resolved simply, collectively or couldn’t the opposing parties not have agreed in favor of uniting for the Santo Niño?

For whom are the worship, celebration, feast, and fiesta this third Sunday of January? For God, the public, or mortal gods?

During the Feast for the Santo Niño, can the sacred be honored and prioritized always rather than secular intentions and interests?

May the trivialization of the celebration for and worship of our Santo Niño end.

May Cebu and the whole country be gifted with genuine servant-leaders whose mission and service are truly offered for God’s glory and the welfare of his people, especially the most needy.

Sadly, despite glaring social issues experienced by millions of Filipinos such as poverty/hunger, homelessness, unemployment/among others, politicians are preoccupied by their goals to be and remain in power.

Observe how Congress, Malacañang, local government officials, rather than focus on their constituents and their immediate, urgent needs, are now busy with CHACHA (charter change).

The recent maneuvers to change the constitution, through people’s initiative and CONASS (constituent assembly) are allegedly to change only economic provisions in the old Constitution that block economic progress for our country and Filipinos.

Despite evidence presented by critics opposing CHACHA that economic revisions can be/have been introduced without CHACHA and that genuine governance IS the real urgent change needed now, politicians are still bent and all out for speedy change of the Constitution.

Why?

Is the real intention for the CHACHA to serve the Filipino people/nation or is the real intention to allow political changes in the Constitution that will ensure longer terms for the incumbent/or future politicians and the continuation of their political dynasties?

Lifting these self-serving/abusive politicians to our Santo Niño.

May God send his divine justice and heal our people and land, soonest please!