Sinulog

Once again the malls are alive as the never-ending beat of the Sinulog is played over and over again. We see foreigners left and right scouting for the best buys in the city. And most of all, we notice the annoying traffic downtown. Because it is once again, time for Sinulog.

The history of Sinulog goes way back. It started when an expedition of Spanish fleets docked in the island of Cebu and introduced their faith to us. The Sto. Niño image is believed to have survived a fire making it miraculous.

In the 1980s, groups and the local government started to organize a grand parade in honor of the Holy Child. Thus began the festival that we keep on attending now. My Sinulog childhood memories have always been fun. I used to watch the street parade atop a corporate building along Jones Avenue while feasting on Cebu’s lechon together with family and friends. There are no vehicles, only have your feet to take you around the city.

I grew up not believing in saints and images of the Catholic faith but I totally respect that yet somehow the yearly event has become a mark for me to celebrate the blessings of Cebu.

Looking at a different perspective, the festival is not all about the image. For me, Sinulog is a time when we, as Cebuanos, remember our culture and tradition.

You see, it is a time where we once again nourish the basic areas of our identity.

Music for one is a good example. The Cebu Popular Music Festival shows that we have preserved our language and our gift of music. Year after year, Cebu’s homegrown composers and arrangers surprise us with their award winning songs which we wish to place on the mainstream radio.

Then there is art. We have been detailed artists ourselves before the coming of the Spaniards, hence the label “Pintados” by the invaders. Carefully painted tattoos, handcrafted jewelry and beautifully sewn costumes of the past still exist today as you wander through the streets of the city. Artists have all genres and styles come to the heart of Cebu to display their pieces all for the world to see.

Of course, we do not miss on celebrating beauty. The Miss Cebu pageant is an avenue for Cebuanas to empower themselves and show what an ordinary woman can do for her hometown.

 And lastly, we see our forefathers’ traits radiate within us as we welcome guests. Our being hospitable and loving to our visitors from other parts of the country and the world is unparalleled. In fact, it is something that we should be proud of.

The upcoming festival makes everyone excited. Some are excited to party, others say it is a time of thanksgiving and worship. I, too, have a different meaning for all this. We may differ in standpoints and views on religion but nothing can change the fact that we are Cebuanos, a people blessed by God with such a culture.

It was Jose Rizal who said that a person who does not remember his past is worse than a stinky fish. But we are very good in keeping our history intact. Our museums downtown are well-preserved and the media is doing very best to promote our local culture. The big festival is a culmination of it all. It is a mark of who we are as Cebuanos, as Filipinos.

**Published in the Freeman Newspaper on January 15, 2012