Images of Sto. Niño dressed in green and red robes are sold within the vicinity of Basilica Minore del Santo Niño in Cebu City. CDN Digital photo | Niña Mae Oliverio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — When buying images of the Sto. Niño, priests here urge the public to buy the image clad in red robe, not the one in green.
Fr. John Ion Miranda, one of the priests in the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, echoed this call in a news forum on Tuesday, Jan. 9.
“In our documents, diha sa atong pag interview sa atong mga kaparian, here in Cebu, the late Cardinal Vidal verbally declared nga only the red color nga gisuot sa Santo Niño, red velvet nga pagasuoton sa Señor Santo Niño not the green one,” he said.
The church will not bless
According to Miranda, the green-dressed Niño started with the cultic tradition in the 1990s where the Holy Child clad in green was called, ‘Santo Niño dela Suerte.’
He said that the images clad in green connotes ‘good luck’ or ‘charm.’
“In faith, diha sa pagtoo, we do not need a charm but ang atong pagtoo mismo is enough. We receive enough blessings from the Lord. Mao nay [reason] why usually kaming mga kaparian, usahay mangreklamo gyud mi [sa] mga tao [nga] di mi mo bless sa green [nga Santo Niño],” he said.
He added that he sometimes tells those who bring green-dressed Santo Niño to change its robe to red.
Moreover, he said that in iconography, colors have meanings.
“In iconography, naay meaning ang tanang colors in Christian arts. The red velvet, it refers to the suffering of Christ. The same as the Nazareno, wearing a red velvet,” he said.
He added that the color red refers to the suffering of Christ and the body of Christ.
“At the same time the red velvet signifies the Kingship of Jesus,” the priest said.
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CDN Digital visited some stores near the Basilica’s vicinity and spotted some vendors selling green-dressed Santo Niños.
Shendai Juntilla and Jouana Amora, confirmed to CDN Digital that the green Niños are associated with business.
They said that their customers buy the said Sto. Niño because “it is for business.”
Although they are aware that the priests do not bless the green-dressed ones, they continue to sell them because there are still customers who search for them.
“Daghan gihapon [mopalit],” Juntilla said.
The late Cardinal Vidal
In a 1994 report of the Union of Catholic Asian News, the late Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, urged the Catholics not to buy Santo Niño images whose robes’ colors are associated with ‘materialism and superstition.’
With this, Vidal said that the archdiocese of Cebu does not recognize ‘distorted’ images of the Santo Niño.
Vidal also stood firm that the traditional Santo Niño image is the one clad in a red robe.
Basilica’s statement
In a statement sent by the Basilica to CDN Digital on Wednesday, Jan. 10, they echoed this call to the devotees.
They said that the Augustinian Friars of Basilica del Santo Niño de Cebu ‘strongly urge all devotees to adhere to our tradition of adorning the image of Santo Niño de Cebu with a red or red velvet vestment, maintaining a sense of religious propriety.’
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Furthermore, they said that the color of the vestment on the religious image of Santo Niño carries Christian significance that aims to deepen the devotee’s faith in God, and that Santo Niño reminds everyone of Jesus Christ’s kingship.
“It is noteworthy that in 1994, the then-Archbishop of Cebu, Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, issued a statement explicitly prohibiting the use of green vestments for the image of Santo Niño. This restriction was imposed to prevent the portrayal of Santo Niño de la Suerte, which often includes a purse or money bags, symbolizing prosperity,” they said.
“In our faith, we place our trust in the providence and grace of God, rejecting the reliance on lucky charms,” the priests added.