Hubo Mass: Faithful flock Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu to join in the Hubo rites which closes the 459th Fiesta Señor celebrations. | 📸: BSMN / Facebook
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Not even bad weather stopped devotees from flocking to the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu on Friday, January 26, as they joined the Hubo rites that capped off this year’s Fiesta Señor celebration.
Like in the past two weeks, the centuries-old church was jampacked with faithful who did not mind the early morning rainshowers to witness the ceremonial undressing of the image of the Señor Sto. Niño.
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Hubo marks Fiesta Señor festivities
The Hubo, which falls every Friday, marks the end of the Fiesta Señor festivities.
Hubo, in Cebuano, literally means to undress.
Augustinian friars will strip the image of the Holy Child of its fiesta regalia, given a ritual bath, before it will be draped with simpler clothes.
The crown was the first ornament to be removed, followed by the orb, scepter, armlet, bands, cap, tunic, inner garments, and boots, respectively.
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Hubo rites
Before Friday’s solemn Hubo rites began, Fr. Jaime Silvestre Parmisano presided a Holy Mass.
In his Homily, Parmisano reminded churchgoers that the Hubo rites itself symbolized the greatness of Jesus Christ’s love to everyone.
The priest also reflected over how mothers showed love to their children by preparing them a bath, similar to how devotees and friars would bathe the Sto. Niño in every Hubo rites.
“Makita nato dinha sa simpleng pagligo sa bata ang gugma sa ginikanan ug ang gugma sa nagligo ngadto sa giligoan,” said Parmisano.
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(We can see there in the simple bathing of the child the parents love an the love of the one being bathe to the one who bathe’s the child.)
“Hinaot unta (We hope that) we will lovingly gaze our Lord and once again commit ourselves to his calling. To be once again committed to our Señor Sto. Niño,” he added.