Sinulog Festival-Cebu City

SINULOG FESTIVAL




photocredit

Philippine Pictures

The Sinulog is a dance ritual in honor of Santo Nino. It is held every year in Cebu City on the third Sunday of January.

This Sinulog dance which is the traditional and ritual dance in honor of Santo Nino is distinguished from the Ati-atihan from Panay Island.


Accompanied by the sound of the drums the sequences include the
all the time moving two steps forward followed by one step backward. Though the dance is already very old, the parade that characterized the festival was started onl in 1980.

Contrary to the belief of some, Sinulog was already danced by the locals in honor of their wooden statues in the period before the Cebuanos were baptized. Later on, after the image of the famous Santo Niño was brought to Cebu and the Catholic faith was established in the region, the dance was made a part of the early fiesta in honor of the Santo Nino.

While dancing, people are shouting petitions and thanksgivings to the Santo Nino. Shouting is necessary because the pilgrims have to be sure that they will be heard by the Santo Nino.
"Pit Senor! Senor Santo Nino."

SINULOG FESTIVAL,Mardi Gras,Sto.Nino,Cebu City

ATI-ATIHAN-KALIBO, AKLAN

ATI-ATIHAN-KALIBO, AKLAN





SINULOG FESTIVAL is to Cebu City while the Ati-Atihan is a festival in honor of the Holy Infant Jesus in Kalibo, Aklan also celebrated in the third week of January. The dancing however is done on the rhythms of the drums that makes this festival comparable with carnival in Rio in Brazil.

A parade is participated by celebrants who paint their faces in many different ways and who are dressed in the most exceptional costumes.

The practise of painting the faces was long observed before the
Spaniards came. It symbolized the friendship between the light-skinned immigrants from the island of Borneo (Kalimantan) in Indonesia and the Atis, the local people of Panay. The Ati (negritos), a small and dark (black) kinky-haired people, sold them a small piece of land and allowed them to settle down in the lowlands. The Atis themselves, lived more upland in the mountains.

One time the Ati people was in need of food because of a bad harvest in their homelands. They came down to the lowlands of the Maraynon and asked them food. Every year since then, the Atis came down to the lowland inhabitants to ask for some food. They danced and sang in gratitude for the help.

SINULOG FESTIVAL,eyes,Sto.Nino,Cebu City,Ati-Atihan

Simbang Gabi

Simbang Gabi






Christmas in the Philippines starts when the month of the year ends with the BER.

This is when radio stations start playing Christmas carols on the air. Ours is one country that celebrates a mixture of Western and native Christmas traditions.

We send Christmas cards, decorate our houses with Christmas trees, mistletoes, Santa Claus and long strings of lights.
Manila and Makati, the two prime cities are converted into little Paris because of the galore of lights.

The Filipino Chistmas traditions however begin in December 15 for the dawn mass or Simbang Gabi. Masses are held as early as 5' o clock in the morning for nine consecutive days which culiminate on December 24, Christmas eve.

Young people look forward to seeing their friends dressed in their best; office workers come in their work clothes and mothers come with their sleepy kids whose motivation to come is the bibingka and puto bumbong that they buy after the mass.


back to Now What,Ca t


Christmas Songs,Tagalog Christmas Songs,OPM Christmas Songs