The Penitential Walk with Jesus earlier on January 11, 2024. | CDN Digital Photo by Christian Dave Cuizon
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The first day of the Fiesta Señor 2024 saw the stretch of Osmeña Boulevard from Fuente Osmeña Circle to downtown Cebu City literally filled with a sea of devotees.
Over 200,000 people joined the Penitential Walk with Jesus and the Opening Salvo Mass of this year’s Fiesta Señor 2024 on Thursday, January 11.
Despite the mammoth crowd, the two large, religious events went ‘smoothly’ and were ‘very peaceful’, said Police Col. Ireneo Dalogdog, chief of the Cebu City Police.
“Wala tay natala nga major untoward incidents,” Dalogdog told reporters in an interview.
The crowd at the Walk with Jesus, which started from Fuente Osmeña Circle at 4 a.m. and then ended at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu, was manageable, according to Harold Alcontin, head of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO).
The presence of marshals and augmentation forces helped in keeping the crowd in control despite the ongoing construction of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Alcontin added.
On the other hand, disaster and rescue personnel attended to several devotees who experienced dizziness and a jump in their blood pressure while joining Thursday’s religious activities.
The Penitential Walk with Jesus marks the start of the Fiesta Señor 2024 season, and the start of the nine-day Novena Masses leading to the feast day.
The Fiesta Señor 2024 is different from the Sinulog in that it refers to activities initiated by the Church such as the penitential walks, Traslacion, Fluvial Parade, the Novena Masses among others.
The Sinulog, on the other hand, covers festival activities still with reverence to the Santo Niño such as the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan, Sinulog sa Dakbayan and the grand mardi gras on January 21 at the SRP.
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