Organizers promise bigger, grander Sugat-Kabanhawan festival on Sunday

Angels hang on a harness to accompany the image of Mary, who was waiting for the risen Christ, during the 2015 Sugat-Kabanhawan reenactment. / CDN File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Organizers are preparing more fireworks and special effects for Sunday’s Sugat-Kabanhawan festival to attract an even bigger crowd to Minglanilla town’s annual festivity.

Marvey Caño, the over-all artistic director of the celebration, promised that their special effects are expected to be pleasing to the eyes of spectators.

“Nag puno-puno mi’g mga special effects nga malingaw gyud ang mga mata nato ron (We added special effects that will make the activity more pleasing to the eyes),” he told CDN Digital in a phone interview on Wednesday, April 17.

With the added attraction, Caño is confident that they will be able to double this year’s festival crowd.

The dawn festival is a reenactment of the meeting of Mary and the newly risen Christ that will be held at the Minglanilla Central School oval.

Caño said they are having more than 200 children to act as angels during the reenactment.

The Easter Sunday festival will start with a 2 a.m. Mass that will be followed by the Sugat Kabanhawan reenactment.

A carabao race is also scheduled at 7 a.m. of the same day.

Caño said that their ancestors used to match the number of angels that would participate in the annual Sugat with the corresponding number of carabao that they would slaughter as offering.

But the practice was changed during the modern times to avoid the mass slaughter of carabao.

A street parade that will be participated by 10 contingents – five in the elementary and another five in the high school division – is scheduled at 4 p.m. on Sunday. The ritual showdown starts at 7 p.m. at the Minglanilla Central School oval.

Winners in each of the categories will be getting cash prizes of P50, 000. Runners up will receive P30, 000 – 2nd runner up; P20, 000 – 3rd runner up; P15, 000 – 4th runner up and P10, 000 – 5th runner up.

The municipal government of Minglanilla that is located around 15 kilometers south of Cebu City allocated P5 million for this year’s festival or at least P200,000 more than last year’s budget.

Caño said they wanted to make this year’s festival grander especially since they are anticipating the visit of guests from the  National Commission for Culture and Arts who will act as judges in their street dancing and grand showdown competition.

He said that this is the first time that the commission took notice of their festival. Commission officials would normally visit Cebu to attend the Sinulog grand parade that is held in January of each year. /dcb