Traditions and holidays Contest: Cebu's Famous #Sinulog-Festival @steem-travelers #club5050

cover photo made in intro-maker app

Great day ahead @steemians! Allow me join in this contest because I am proud to share with you our annual SINULOG FESTIVAL honoring our Baby Jesus. The Holy Child.

Allow me to introduce to you our Little Jesus. He is 15 years old with us at home. I personally crafted His cape and decorated it with sequence of different colors. This tiny statue of Baby Jesus the Holy Child was brought by FERDINAN MAGELLAN in Cebu, he was a portuguese-born but serving the King of Spain when he travelled around the globe and discovered Philippine Islands.

It was March 15, 1521 when he discovered our country but there was a debate it was us the Filipinos who discovered them in our island. He introduced to us Christianity because our ancestors at that time were pagans they believed in the spirits of stones, trees, and dead ancestors

It became our gratitude to them as if we were baptised under the leadership of our ancestor local chief, Rajah Humabon. Under his rule many were baptised and goes with it is acknowledging the King of Spain King Philip. When Ferdinand Magellan died in the Battle of MActan, another bunch of spaniards landed in the Island of Cebu under the leadership of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and finally they successfully colonized our country. Legaspi ordered the built of the Sto. Niño shrine. See the picture below.

The Holy Cross is the actual Cross Ferdinand Magellan brought to our Island and every passersby should kneel and bow facing the Cross as gesture of our ancestors' respect to the King of Spain.
We were ruled 400 years under the control of Spain. This year marks the 500th anniversary of Christianity in our country

So much with the history because of our strong faith it became a tradition every year to celebrate faith we practiced dance ritual honoring the Holy Child in which it tells the story of the Filipino ancestors' pagan past and their acceptance of Christianity. We call the dance ritual in Cebuano dialect “Sinulog” means “graceful dance”, wherein it all started in 1980 a dance that represents the “sulog” or it mean water current of a river in Cebu. Until it became a festive celebration annually the SINULOG FESTIVAL.
The picture with my niece taken the day before the festival to avoid the crowd because the Sinulog is participated by hundreds of towns and municipalities all over the archipelago.

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This is an old lady the petitioner, if you happen to visit Cebu City they will approach you and ask your sincere petitions, and they'll pray for you and help you make your prayers come true. You just have to buy their candles, they'll dance your petitions to the Holy Child, they'll do the Sinulog ritual dance and after the dance ritual you may light the candles and say your personal prayer
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After you petitions, you may enjoy the SINULOG FESTIVAL STREET DANCING. See the pictures below:

With my student as queen of the tribe she is representing during the street dancing.

With my other students representing different tribes as queens.

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This is the Sto Niño Church where you can find the oldest Icon image of the Holy Child but I doubt if the keeper will I allow you because the image is too sensitive and fragile now. You can attend Holy Mass everyday here with the same number of crowds or even more..

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The festival is colorful but along the way it became a contest.

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But then again, the Sinulog Festival is not just a dance but a humble prayer. Like that of the children on the streets, homeless yet their humble faith is stronger, so innocent and genuine and hoping for a better tomorrows.

I wish to celebrate Sinulog Festival with them @sakura1012 and @monsiou.
Thanks @papi.mati