Cebu's vibrant festival is called SINULOG from the local dialect "sulog" which means wave or sea current movement. The festival is called as such because of the dance patterns done by candle vendors in Sr. Sto Nino de Cebu church. Whenever there is a patron buying their candles, these candle vendors would make a prayer offering by dancing and waving the bought candles in front of the church. The dance steps is called sinulog because of it's pattern which simulates the movement of the sea current.
The firt ever provincial wide Sinulog parade was held in 1981 under then Mayor Florentino Solon and from then on sinulog is celebrated yearly every third Sunday of the month of January.
Today, Sinulog has evolved into a long event rather than just a one day street parade due to separation of it's religious influences and of course the spirit of mardigras. The festival start early December with the Sinulog Street Fair, you can already see vendors putting up their small stalls in goverment allowed spaces near Abellana National Highschool in Osmeña Blvd. They would sell nearly almost anything and everything, mostly products made from the Philippines and among other things. These vendors will stay until the end of January.
 |
| image from sunstar |
There would then be the Opening Salvo with the assembly at Fuente Osmeña circle, prayer rally from the circle to the basilica then the installation of Hermana & Hermano Mayores, this is the start of the religious part of the festival wherein the church delegates two representatives for the year's Sinulog celebration.
Afterwhich the sinulog Kick off would then start. At this time, Miss Cebu, the oldest running beauty pageant in Cebu will commence but will have a different coronation date.
There are more activities that would happen everyday until the actual Sinulog parade such as Sinulog sa Kabataan wherein the participants of the parade are students from different Primary Schools within the City and as well as the entire province. Before, students actually joined the actual parade but since then the Sinulog committee have separated them and they have their own parade on a different date. This is to give more attention to the participants of the elementary division.
 |
| image from dinno sandoval's flickr page |
 |
| image from skyscrapercity |
During the grand parade the street dancing competition is divided into different categories:
The Sinulog Base, which depicts the history of how Sto. Niño came to Cebu. The dance is depicted usually with how the Spanish introduced Christianity to the country through King Humabon and Queen Juana.
The free interpretation usually depicts how Sto. Niño saves a village from disasters and calamities depicted either in usually large animals like a bird trying to destroy the village's crops.
One can pretty much tell which is the Sinulog Base and the Free Interpretation participants through their costumes. The Sinulog-Based often has the spanish feel in their costumes since they are depicting the coming of Ferdinand Magellan in the Philippines whilst the Free Interpretation participants often have the muslim feel in their costumes although lately, it also has a modern feel as well. One thing is common though, the lavish costumes livens up the street route.
Apart from that, lavish floats adorned with flowers and muses such as the one in the picture also joins in and from time to time local and national celebrities can be found riding the floats. Giants, made out of paper mache, foam and cloth are also visible as part of the Grand Parade.
The entire event will end with a lavish firework display and the the street will be filled with people dancing ang walking and of course merry making...
Advice to the tourist:
Sinulog is one of the biggest festivals in the entire Philippines, hotels and inns are often fully booked as early as December some avid tourist would even book for the next year in advance. So if one is planning on being part of this activity, might as well make sure that you have a roof in you head before coming to Cebu but not to worry, Cebu government have enticed several hotel moguls to invest and a lot of hotels have sprouted since then.
2015 Sinulog Schedule:
December 01 – January 31, 2015 : Sinulog Street Fair, Osmeña Blvd.
December 27, 2014 – January 24, 2015 : Sinulog 2014 Photo Exhibit at SM City Cebu
December 30, 2014 (Tuesday) : Sinulog Fun Run5:00 AM : Elimination Sinulog 2015 Dance Crew
January 8, 2015 (Thursday) Opening Salvo: Walk with Jesus4:00 AM : Assembly Time (Area) Fuente Osmeña4:30 AM : Start of Walk-Fuente Osmeña Blvd. – Basilica del Sto. Niño5:30 AM : Installation of Hermano & Hermana Mayores 2015
January 8, 2015 (Thursday) Opening Salvo: Walk with Jesus4:00 AM : Assembly Time (Area) Fuente Osmeña4:30 AM : Start of Walk-Fuente Osmeña Blvd. – Basilica del Sto. Niño5:30 AM : Installation of Hermano & Hermana Mayores 2015
January 9, 2015 (Friday) 2015 Kick Off
January 10, 2015 (Saturday) Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan
January 11, 2015 (Sunday) Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan
January 12, 2015 (Monday)6:30 PM : Cultural Show (Fuente Osmeña)8:00 PM : Sinulog Idol (Fuente Osmeña)9:00 PM : Concert at the Fuente Osmeña, Street Party Bands
January 13, 2015 (Tuesday)6:30 PM : Cultural Show (Fuente Osmeña)8:00 PM : Sinulog Idol (Fuente Osmeña)9:00 PM : Concert at the Fuente Osmeña, Street Party Bands
January 14, 2015 (Wednesday)9:00 AM : Airport Welcome (Balikbayan Flights)6:30 PM : Cultural Show (Fuente Osmeña)7:00 PM : Ms. Cebu 2015 Coronation Night
January 15, 2015 (Thursday)Sinulog 2015 Idol Grand FinalsSinulog Festival Queen Runway Competition and Photoshoot
January 16, 2015 (Friday) Visual Merchandising Contest (Dept. Stores and Malls)
January 17, 2015 (Saturday)6:00 AM : Fluvial Procession of the Miraculous Image of the Sto. Niño9:00 AM : Re-enactment of the Baptism of Queen Juana and Rajah Humabon Bsilica del Santo Niño2:00 PM : Solemn Procession of the Miraculous Image of Sto. Niño7:00 PM : Sinulog Fireworks Competition at SM City Cebu7:00 PM : Street Party at Fuente Osmeña and Plaza Independencia
January 18, 2015 (Sunday) Sinulog Grand Parade
January 19, 2015 (Monday) Awarding Ceremonies at Cebu City Sports Center
January 23, 2015 (Friday) “HUBO”
January 24, 2015 : Judging of Finalists Short Film/Video Documentary ContestSinulog 2014 Photo Contest Winners Exhibit
January 31, 20151:00 PM : Judging of Finalists Sinulog Short Film Festival at SM City Cebu6:00 PM : Awarding Ceremonies Photo Contest, Short Film andVideo Documentary Contest at SM City Cebu
January 31, 2015 – February 8, 2015Photo Exhibit “Winning Photos Sinulog 2014” at SM City Cebu
No comments:
Post a Comment