Festival gowns, photo exhibit ushers in Sinulog

New festival gowns for the Sinulog are on display at SM Northwing. The exhibit of gowns and photos was opened during the launch of the Sinulog Foundation yesterday. Another exhibit opened last week at the Robinsons Galleria Cebu. (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)

A blue and white gown with cherubs adorning the ballroom skirt worn by former Miss Cebu Steffi Aberasturi draws admiring spectators at Robinsons Galleria Cebu.

Another exhibit of Sinulog festival gowns opened yesterday at SM City Cebu.

The manequins with their dramatic designs help drum up public anticipation of Cebu City’s biggest festival in January.

The Sinulog Foundation, Inc. yesterday launched the season with photo exhibits featuring the winners of the 2015 photo contest and various Sinulog and Aliwan festival queen costumes.

The gown with large silver wings and cherubs carved out of air foam by artists from Compostela town was named the Best Festival Costume during the Aliwan Festival in Metro Manila.

The young Cebuana who wore it, Aberasturi, was awarded Reyna ng Aliwan 2014.

The designer Malayka Yamas said this is one of 10 creations on display at the Robinsons Galleria.

“Costume displays at Robinsons Galleria were used by our Sinulog Festival Queens before as they represented Sinulog during the Aliwan Festival. Those at SM City Cebu are newly designed,” Yamas told Cebu Daily News.

Sinulog festival gown with angels by Malayka Yamas, which won the Best Festival Gown in the 2014 Aliwan Festival, is being displayed at Robinsons Galleria Cebu. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Yamas designed seven of the 10 creations in Robinson’s Galleria as well as two out of the four displayed at SM’s Northwing.

Each costume costs P15,000 to P20,000 and took two to three weeks to finish.

“The concept was based on the costume of the Carcar City contingent, which had angels playing different instruments in heaven,” Yamas said.

Small tiaras direct attention to the dancer’s face.

Yamas said he usually makes sure the back of the costume is bigger in scale for dramatic impact.

His red and gold creation at the Robinsons Galleria has light emitting diodes (LED) to look like rays of the sun. It was worn by Miss Earth 2008 Karla Henry during a performance for the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

Other creations in both malls are made by two other Cebuano designers, Erwin Tizon and Lyndon Adolfo.

The exhibit runs from December 23 to Jan. 30, 2016.

The creations in SM City Cebu Northwing are all new.

“These have not yet been worn by any candidate, said Yamas. The costumes will be available for rent.

The blue gown was inspired by water and comes with a crown in silver and blue.

The red and gold gown at SM, also by Yamas, is made from “buli” or the gebang palm tree.

So far seven out-of-town contingents have signed up for the Sinulog grand parade on January 17, said executive director Ricky Ballesteros.

These are Tribu Katbalugan of Catbalogan City, Tribu Sinanduloy of Tangub City, Kulturang Placereño and Tribu Himag-ulaw of Masbate, the Land of Beauty and Bounty from Lanao del Norte, Tribu Buyoganon of Abuyog in Leyte, and a contingent from Panglao, Bohol.

Kulturang Placereño won first place in this year’s Sinulog-based category while the Abuyog contingent topped the Free Interpretation category.

Meanwhile, Ballesteros said beggars would not be rounded up to clear the streets for the festival.

“For me, there’s no need to round them up. Let them enjoy the Sinulog. But if they make trouble, the police will deal with them,” he said.

He said the foundation is closely coordinating with the police to ensure peace and order during the festival.

The grand parade takes place on Jan. 17 but the Sinulog calendar kicks off on Jan. 8.

A week after the parade, Cebu City will host the week-long International Eucharistic Congress, which brings in 15,000 delegates and will draw up to one million participants in open-air Masses and s religious procession down the city’s main streets.