What makes the Sinulog Festival the number one festival in the Philippines?

For those who want to witness the Sinulog 2012 Festival come January 15 for the first time, let me give you some wonderful things that you will experience. The things that makes the Sinulog Festival the most visited festival in the Philippines. But before I will enumerate them for you, let me tell you a brief introduction about the history of the Sinulog Festival first.

The Sinulog Festival is celebrated yearly on the third Sunday of the month of January in the city of Cebu, Philippines. This is the number one festival and the national festival of the Philippines. It is the national festival because this is the city where Ferdinand Magellan landed when he discovered the Philippines in 1521, a city where the image of Sto. Nino is being praised as a figure of the child Jesus Christ.

This particular Sto. Nino statuette was originally brought by Ferdinand Magellan in Cebu to offer it to the wife of Rajah Humabon, the ruler of Cebu, as a symbol of the Spaniards’ influence to spread the Roman Catholicism to the Philippines. His wife Hara Amihan, who was later named Queen Juana, along with the rulers of Cebu, including 800 natives, were baptized for the first time as Roman Catholics.

It is believed that the first Sinulog Festival was experienced during that first baptismal in the island, and that Queen Juana danced in joy with the statuette Sto. Nino to celebrate the beginning of Roman Catholic religion in the island.

This history what made Cebu City the cultural center and cultural capital of the Philippines.

Now, the Sinulog Festival is celebrated every year with full of enjoyment and overwhelming passion of the people; celebrated and respected with lots and lots of welcoming dances, parade of flowers, mascot shows, fireworks, and many many more. Here’s what makes the Sinulog the best and most splendid festival in the Philippines:

1.The Spectators

It has always been a tradition of Cebuanos to celebrate the Sinulog with full of zest and pride. I’ve experienced three Sinulogs already and I can tell you that the people are so overwhelming from their unbelievable cooperation with the festival.

People, particularly Cebuanos from Cebu provinces in the island, walk their way in the city streets to witness this festival; they walk the streets like armies of ants going to a grain of sugar. They walk to a certain convergence to make the event merrier and much more joyful to celebrate. Street dances, parades with flowers and percussions pounding, people drinking, singing, eating, jumping, cheering, and any gesture of sweet and ultimate celebration as if the city has won a war. With the sight of the people at the Sinulog, you just can’t take your eyes of it.

2.The Culture

The Sinulog festival began in 1980; since then, the tradition of merriment during this time of the year has always been the seventh heaven for the people experiencing it. Oh yes. This very day you can almost do whatever you want to do to enjoy; you can drink any alcohol and dance everywhere and sing at the top of your lungs, or just anything you can think of just to show and prove to yourself that you’re enjoying the festivity. But of course, guns and dr^gs are prohibited; ahmmm; however, contrary to what some say, acquaintances I met during the festival, that you can do dr@gs and bring them and use them with prudence.

Others said that even the police authorities won’t arrest you if you are caught bringing those with you as long as you don’t do unacceptable acts like violence or crimes. As if to say that everything is legal, even dr*gs, only on this very day of the Sinulog festival. I don’t know if this is true or not.

But I believe sexy scenes are allowed so long as they’re not beyond the moral standards. It should be discreet, of course. If people, especially girls, display some sexy and daring gestures, police just leave them that way, as long as they do it as a form of celebration and not as an immoral act.

3.The Girls

There is nothing greater site for men than a sight of a beautiful and sexy Cebuana walking the city streets with skimpy clothes. Oh yes. Most of the Cebuanas wear very short shorts and spaghetti when they walk the city streets to experience the event. They like it that way to show a sign of broad-mindedness of the Cebuanas. Other than the fact that Cebuanas are known for being practical and modern, they just love to expose their sexy bodies without malice, especially during an event like the Sinul0g Festival.

4.The Fireworks

One of the most pleasing scenes is the fireworks display up the vanilla sky at night. Different places in Cebu like Ayala Center Cebu, SM City Cebu, Crown Regency Hotel, and among other places, most are high-rise buildings across the city are sparking off fireworks display during the Sinulog. There are even fireworks competition held during the event. Many competitors from different parts of the country join this contest to prove their ingenuity in building excellent pyrotechnics.

So there you go the things that you will experience on the Sinulog 2012; the things that makes Sinulog Festival the number one festival in the country. If you want to check out the schedule of activities of the festival, you can click here. If you want to take a look of the Sinulog 2012 route maps, click this page.

Pit Senyor!

Listen to the original theme song of the Sinulog Festival below:

[Image credits: Chickinthetropics, Sinulog Official Website, Sky Experience]

UPDATE January 4, 2012 10:14 PM –

Watch the video below and see how devoted Cebuanos are to the Sto. Nino. This took place last year on Sinulog 2011:

If you want to view the pictures I’ve taken during the Sinulog 2011, click this link: Sinulog 2011 Gallery. For the videos click this: Sinulog 2011.

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