Easter joy, not disco revelry in ‘Sugat’ of Minglanilla town

A spectacle of angels, lights and drama is what visitors expect in the ‘Sugat’ of Minglanilla town like this production in 2010 where a little angel removes the black veil of the Blessed Virgin Mary. (CDN FILE PHOTO)

For years, the “Sugat” presentation on Easter dawn has drawn thousands of visitors to Minglanilla town, south Cebu where the dawn ritual has been an elaborate, noisy outdoor production with more revelry than reverence.

Not this year.

Organizers have decided to adopt a more traditional approach with a religious procession, a Mass in church and no disco.

Sugat, a Cebuano word for “meeting”, reenacts the meeting of the risen Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

For over a decade, the event has been  held at the town’s sports complex,  preceded by a disco which has been the scene of  unruly crowds, youthful misbehavior and drinking binges.

“We have seen so many undesirable and immoral acts which diverts the spirit of the celebration,” said Fr. Arnie Visitacion, chairman of the worship committee of the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Minglanilla’s  mother church.

So this year, heeding the appeal of concerned parishioners and Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, local government organizers were convinced to forego the disco and to hold Easter Mass inside the church, not in the municipal complex.

“The usual grand staging of the Sugat will still be there. But we have to go back to  the traditional way, according to the norms and guidelines of the Church. In doing so, we will be able to draw people’s attention to what the celebration is really about,” Visitacion told Cebu Daily News.

Spectators can still expect to see colorful costumes, an elaborate stage production and little girls dressed as angels “flying” in the air in body harnesses– dramatic elements that have made Minglanilla town, the “Sugat Capital of the South”.

At around 2 a.m. on April 5, a drama depicting the passion and death of Jesus will be staged at the town’s sports complex. There’s a fight scene between Saint Michael the Archangel  and Lucifer before the dramatic “meeting” of the risen Christ Jesus and Mary.

An “angel” will be lowered from the ceiling to remove the black veil of the  Virgin Mary, signaling the start of the  joyful celebration of  Easter.

A 300-meter foot procession will bring the images of the risen Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary from the sports complex to the church in Minglanilla.  For the first time after about two decades, Easter Mass will be held inside the Church instead of outdoors.

READ: 100 ‘angels’ join Sugat sa Guadalupe

In the afternoon, seven public school contingents from Minglanilla will compete in dance presentations with heritage and cultural themes for a P60,000 grand prize. A carabao race and Easter egg hunt are part of the program.

About 40,000 visitors are expected, said Minglanilla Mayor Elanito Peña.

In 2008, the Commission on Audit questioned the town’s expenditure for the Sugat-Kabanhawan Festival, saying expenses were “excessive and unnecessary.”

Mayor Peña said they were careful with this year’s budget.

“I’d like invite people from Cebu and from other regions to come to Minglanilla to witness this beautiful event,” he said.

The Sugat was a religious activity introduced by the Spaniards in the 19th century in the country.

Residents in Minglanilla used to slaughter carabaos equivalent to the number of angels who took part in the Sugat presentation, a practice that was eventually stopped when the population of carabaos dwindled.

It later evolved into a major tourism attraction for the town.

In 2000, the event was moved from the church grounds to the town’s public school and later to the plaza or sports complex to accommodate more spectators.

In 2005, the Kabanhawan Festival was introduced to add color to the celebration.  The religious character gave way to discos and cultural shows.

“People could no longer pray. There were more distractions than meditations,” said Msgr. Esteban Binghay, who served as parish priest in Minglanilla from 1987 to 1998.

“There are many things that divert their attention. I hope the format of the event will be transformed in order to give meaning to the celebration,” said Binghay who is now episcopal vicar of Metro Cebu South district of the Archdiocese of Cebu and rector of the Theotokos Shrine in Carcar City.

“May people be reminded that the Sugat is a reminder of Easter—the climax and pinnacle of Christ’s work on earth to save man. In Calvary, he died. By resurrecting from the dead, he save. Resurrection confirms his role as savior of mankind,” he added.