Sinulog Festival celebrates 18th edition

One of the biggest Filipino events in the region – the Sinulog Festival – held its 18th edition over the weekend, featuring seven dance groups in vibrant and diverse costumes representing tribes in the Philippines.

Santo Niño devotees showcased their religion and culture by participating in dance parades hailing, “Viva Pit Señor!,” which translates to “long live the baby Jesus.”

Organized by the Santo Niño de Cebu in Macau Association, the annual religious procession was held at the public square in Macau Tower.

The annual celebration began after the image of the Santo Niño was brought to Cebu in the early 16th century and the Catholic faith was established in the region.

Participants on the weekend held images of St. Niño to honor the infant Jesus and the historical event.

Violeta Duran, head organizer of Sinulog-Macau noted that such events minimize the distress of Filipino migrant workers in the city, as cited in a report by state broadcaster TDM.

“It [the event] helps us [while] being far away from our country. We feel that, for one day, we are in the Philippines. It minimizes our homesickness.”

Filipino priest, Andy Veragra, recalled that the event, which was initiated in 2000 in Macau by Filipino Catholic devotees who are not able to go back to their hometowns in Cebu during the occasion.
“For the Filipino, it’s an important [event] because it’s a kind of devotion that they have, [it is] an expression of their faith to God,” he said.

The event, which originated in Cebu, customarily takes place on the third Sunday in January and involves a traditional Sinulog dance in which participants take two steps forward and one step back, swaying to the rhythm of the drums. LV