Sinulog

Do you want to hear people shouting "pit señor"?

Try to visit Cebu City, located at the center of the Visayan peninsula. It highlights the festivity of Sinulog or Graceful dance in English. It commemorates the taking of the natives of Christianity.

Originally, on April 7, 1951 Magellan - the Portuguese Explorer came to the Philippines and gave a wooden Santo Niño or little Jesus to the wife of Rajah Humabon (Chieftain of Cebu that time), Harah Amihan as a baptismal gift. Shortly thereafter, on April 21, 1951 he fought the reigning ruler of Mactan, Rajah Lapu-lapu and died.

With the colonization of the Spaniards for 300 years of the Philippines, Christianity became the major religion in the country. By then the yearly festival was conceptualized to honor Santo Niño which is now commonly called Sinulog.

Sinulog is a dance ritual in honor of the miraculous image of the Santo Nino. The dance moves to the sound of the drums and this resembles the current (Sinulog) of what was then known as Cebu’s Pahina River.

Too often, it was mistaken for Aklan’s Ati-Atihan, complete with painted faces and war-like, martial beat. Now this festivity features in its parade seven floats to depict the history of Christianity in Cebu. See you there.