The rain was not enough to stop the festive spirit of the Sinulog Festival yesterday in Cebu City.
Dozens of troups from around the country came to participate in the Sinulog festival, where they danced in honor of the Señor Santo Niño (Holy Child Jesus).
The image was first brought to Cebu, Philippines, by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. In Cebu, he presented the image and baptized local Cebu king Rajah Humabon and his Queen Humamay.
Magellan was later killed by Lapu-Lapu, a chief and rival of Humabon, who refused to convert to Christianity.
The Sinulog Festival is named after a native Cebuano dance which mimics the movement of the river with one step forward and two steps back.
Folklorists believe that native Cebuanos began dancing the Sinulog after Baladhay, Rajah Humamon’s advisor, woke up dancing with the statue Magellan brought in his hands after seeing the child in a dream.
The annual festival brings in 1 to 2 million people from around the country and the world annually.
See the colorful costumes and movements and the intense devotion many Filipinos have to the Santo Niño in the photos below:
In this photo, devotees raise their hands in praise as the Santo Niño passes them by during a procession.
During the procession, thousands of people waited on the sides of the roads to catch a glimpse of the Santo Niño
Dance troupes from all over the country came to compete for prizes of up to PHP1 million (US$20,000)
Each troupe danced through the streets of Cebu City before reaching the main stage at the Cebu City Sports Center for their final performance.
(See which dance troupes won the prizes here)
If you couldn’t make it to Cebu for this year’s festival, you can check out videos of the performances and the day’s events here.
