Santo Niños are on display at the Ayala Center Cebu (ALL PHOTOS BY CDN/APPLE TA-AS)
He may be a small boy, but several generations of devotees honoring Him attest that size, even the kind and color of clothes that he wears, is not the point.
The Holy Child, the Señor Santo Niño, has long been depicted in red and gold vestments, the symbol and heart of Cebuano faith, which gave birth to the Sinulog, one of the country’s biggest festivals.
History has it that the first image of the Señor Santo Niño first arrived in the country during the Spanish conquest.
An image of the Child Jesus is said to be the baptismal gift the
Portuguese conquistador Ferdinand Magellan gave Hara Amihan (Humanay) of Zebu (now Cebu) in April 1521.
It is believed to be miraculous, as tales about the wandering Child and its miracles have been told over the centuries. The Holy Child has also been called the Santo Niñong Gala or Palaboy (wanderer).
No wonder some devotees would dress him in various outfits, from the red and gold vestments like the one depicted in the image housed in Basilica Minore del Santo Niño in downtown, Cebu City to an ordinary boy wearing only his shorts.
At the Ayala Center Cebu Chapel, 43 images of the miraculous child are on display, continuing a tradition for 16 years now in bringing together devotees of Santo Niño for an annual exhibit.
“Communication of Communities” is this year’s theme. The exhibit, curated by Ma. Lourdes Jereza, is open to the public until Jan. 16.
One of the standouts of the exhibit is the Sto. Niño de la Justicia of lawyer Linda Ramos.
Unlike the traditional image of the Holy Child that holds an orb and a scepter, Linda’s Niño is fashioned like a judge, wearing a black silk robe with matching eyeglasses and holding a gavel and a scale.
The exhibit also features the 6.2 foot image of Sto. Niño owned by Jaime Amatong, the biggest on display, owned by Richoy Colina, Judy Lao Tan, Mark Steven Go, Ellis Mendez, Anton Yap, Crimson Flores, Jude and Gina Millares, Eduardo Siton Jr., Harley Ruedas, Xavier Solis, James
Relampagos, Dra. Elsa Basubas, Ervin Osmeña, Glen Albutra, Dominic Perez, Susing Arsenal, Joseph Año, Kevin Mahusay and Lilian Frasco.
Indeed, the Holy Child may vary in sizes and clothes, but they all represent one thing — and that is to tell the story of faith and devotion, and paying homage to Señor Santo Niño time and again.