Lentorama 2021: Take Your Holiday to Go

Day 37: Sinulog

Officially this is Sinulog-Santo Nino Festival, which is held annually on Cebu, one of the islands of The Philippines. The name Sinulog comes from a Cebuano adverb describing the movement of water, and refers to a dance that is part of the celebration.

That celebration predates the arrival of Christianity, with the dance done in honor of local gods (though there is at least one source that claims the dance came after, due to a miracle cure attributed to the Santo Nino). Christianity came into the story when Ferdinand Magellan showed up in 1521, claiming Cebu for Spain. When the local rulers and their subjects converted to Christianity, Magellan gave the rulers the Santo Nino, a figure of the Christ child. And while Magellan didn't last much longer (he would be killed about six weeks later), the Santo Nino did, becoming the oldest Christian artifact in the country.

There are a few good pages out there that talk about Sinulog (this one seems to have the best balance between photography, history, and description of the festival, even if it does feel like it's mostly trying to sell me a tour). They all stress the idea that this is as much a cultural event as a religious one, which makes a fair amount of sense when you consider its likely pre-Christian origin and the fervor with which Filipinos approach their faith.