The festival of all festivals: Cebu's Sinulog Festival

The Sinulog dance, executed with a two step forward and one step backward motion has pagan roots. On April 7, 1521, the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan arrived in a Cebuano settlement near the bank of the Hilutungan Channel. He claimed the island in the name of the King of Spain. The tribal Chief Humabon and his wife Amihan were later persuaded to embrace the Christian religion. Baptized as Juana, Amihan was given an image of the Sto. Niño as a baptismal gift. Together with the other newly baptized members of the tribe, she danced bearing the image of the child Jesus.Presumably, this dancing was that of a pagan religious ritual. This was believed to be the first ever Sinulog Festival.

The pre-Hispanic belief system of Cebuanos consisted of countless gods, spirits, creatures, and men that guarded the streams, fields, trees,mountains, forests, and houses. Bathala, the creator of earth and man, was superior to all these minor gods and spirits. Regular sacrifices and prayers were offered to placate these deities and spirits. Wood and metal images represented ancestral spirits. There was nodistinction made between the spirits and its physical symbol. It is perhaps safe to assume that the Sto. Niño image, brought by Magellan from Spain, was incorporated into this religious beliefs.

Forty four years later, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi anchored in the Cebu settlement that was abandoned by Magellan's men. Tupas, the reigning chief was not as friendly as Chief Humabon. In efforts to subjugate the island, Legazpi destroyed the village. In one of the burning huts, one of López de Legazpi's soldiers named Juan Camus, found a wooden box containing the image of the Santo Niño. It was found lying with several native idols. The Augustinian friars that accompanied López de Legazpi in his expedition proclaimed the statue miraculous and they later built a church on the site where it was found. The church was called San Agustin Church and is now renamed as the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño.

Some writers assert that the Cebuano population during the time of Chief Tupas, revered the Sto. Niño image more than their own religious deities. However, it is hard to believe that the natives were truly converted to Christianity by the short lived stay of Magellan in Cebu. A more a credible assumption is that the early Cebuano settlement continued with their own religious practices after the departure of the ill fated Magellan expedition. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing the exact role that the Spanish image of the Sto. Niño played in the religious beliefs of these early Cebuano settlers.

A letter written by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi survived and he stated the following;

"Your Excellency should know that on that day when we entered this village (Cebu City), one of the soldiers went into a large and well-built house of an indio where he found an image of the Child Jesus (who's most holy name I pray may be universally worshipped). This was kept in its cradle, all gilded, just as if it were brought from Spain: and only the little cross, which is generally placed upon the globe in his hands, was lacking. The image was well kept in that house, and many flowers were found before it, and no one knows for what object or purpose. The soldier bowed down before it with all reverence and wonder, and brought the image to the place where the other soldiers were. I pray to the Holy Name of his image, which we found here, to help us and to grant us victory, in order that these lost people who are ignorant of the precious and rich treasure, which was in their possession, may come to knowledge of Him."

Abellana National School dancers won a grand slam in the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan last Sunday. Graceful and disciplined on stage, the high school students were given the thumbs up by the judges. This is what Larry Gabao, former president of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and chairman of this year's board of judges.

"Discipline on the stage was really very evident in Abellana's performance. They were very graceful. Their preparation was also very evident. So among others, they were the best".