Faithfully yours, Señor Santo Niño: A festival queen’s story

Rosalie Abatayo 01/21/2020

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Dancing for Santo Niño is an opportunity but doing it for more than two decades is a blessing. And so is the tale of Maria Rose Jean Peligro-Arraza, a Sinulog dancer of Barangay…

A higante maker’s story: A giant offering for a gigantic devotion

Rosalie O. Abatayo 01/21/2020

CEBU CITY, Philippines — When God showered gifts, Eduardo Pañares may have been fully awake. The 55-year-old artist from Barangay Mabolo in Cebu City is also gifted in music and dance as well as intellect. While he…

40 years of Sinulog, the making of one of the country’s grandest festivals

Delta Dyrecka Letigio 01/19/2020

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Around 200 college students from seven universities in Cebu City gathered at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño grounds on January 19, 1980 to dance the “Sinug” for the first time. Wearing Filipinana…

Sinulog sa Palaboy: Teaching street kids discipline by dancing the Sinug dance

Delta Dyrecka Letigio 01/18/2020

  CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Sandiego Dance Company has been a main staple of the Sinulog Festival since the beginning of the annual festivity in 1980. Val Sandiego, the dance company’s choreographer and owner, had meticulously…

The gift of a new song for the Child Jesus

Jeruel N. Roa 01/18/2020

“Salamat Santo Niño” Words and Music by Carmen “Meng” G. Angbetic Santo Niño, Hari sa langit; Pagdaygon ang Imong Ngalan. Dangpanan sa makakasala, Sa sakit ug kalisdanan. Kabus ug adonahan, Imo silang gitabangan. Wala’y sukod ang gracia,…

HOW OLD IS THE SINULOG?: Tracing the roots of a tradition

Dr. Jobers Reynes Bersales 01/18/2020

“The Sinulog is a war dance full of variation of Joloano origin…reminiscent of jousts and ancient tournaments,” writes Felix Laureano in Recuerdos de Filipinas, his ground-breaking book of Philippine photographs published in Barcelona, Spain in 1895. The…

Artist Pangilinan shares his journey to float-making success in Sinulog, other festivals

Rosalie O. Abatayo 01/17/2020

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Artists, like their arts, fade away with their eyes wide open — starving to death. So was Ernesto Pangilinan told when he began painting Christmas cards back in sixth grade in the 1960s.…

Get to know some of the artists who competed in the Cebu Pop Music Festival

Gresheen Gift Libby 01/17/2020

Cebu City, Philippines—Sinulog Festival is coming up, and it being one of the biggest and more popular festivals in the country, a lot of interesting events take place during its celebration in the month of January.  Among…

Dancing candle vendors of Basilica Minore del Santo Niño: Keeping the ‘Sinug’ dance tradition alive

Immae Lachica 01/16/2020

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Candles symbolize light and hope to many. Hope that by the end of every tunnel there will always be a light that will lead them to the right path. The bright light given…

26th year of organized devotion for the Santo Niño in New Zealand

Jeruel N. Roa 01/16/2020

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Devotees of the Santo Nino in New Zealand are celebrating the Feast of the Holy Child Jesus as an organized community for the 26th consecutive year.  “Let us offer our halad, the Sinulog…

More than dressing up the Santo Niño: It’s a thanksgiving

Immae Lachica 01/15/2020

CEBU CITY, Philippines— Sinulog is one of the grandest festivals around the Philippines. More than the revelry that the festival is known for, its the time of the  year — every third week of January — when…

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