Santo Niño Festivals in the Philippines
Santo Niño is the most recognizable religious image in the Philippines for a reason: it’s the oldest one in the archipelago. It was first brought to the islands by Magellan in 1521. His scribe, Antonio Pigafetta gave it to the local tribe queen as a baptismal gift.
THE STO. NIÑO. Though it is just a replica, it is still one of the most venerated religious images in the Philippines. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org
It is said to have survived a raging inferno in 1565, after a battle broke out between the Spanish soldiers and the locals. Believing it was a miracle, people venerated the image and has been treated as the patron saint of Cebuanos ever since.
Being the most recognized of all religious images in the country, and combining the Filipino love for celebrations, dozens of festivals for the Santo Niño have been going on in the country for ages. Here are some of them:
Sinulog sa Kabankalan
Kabankalan, Negros Occidental
January 8 – 17, 2016
Festival poster courtesy of Sinulog sa Kabankalan 2016 Facebook page
Sinulog sa Kabankalan is Kabankalan’s take on the Ati-Atihan but with a different bit of history behind it: it commemorates the townsfolk celebrating after a child had driven away pirates by waving his shining sword atop the church tower during the early days of Spanish colonization. It was first staged as a festival in 1976, and has since become one of the major festivals in the country. The annual search for Sinulog Queen is the marquee attraction for this festival.
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Kahimunan Festival
Butuan City, Agusan Del Norte
January 17, 2016
Photo courtesy of www.metrokalan.com
The Kahimunan Festival is Butuan’s take on the popular Sinulog Festival in Cebu. It is as lively and as colourful as the Sinulog in Cebu, with its own grand parade and side events.
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Lakbayaw Festival
Tondo, Manila
January 16, 2016
Photo courtesy of Herman Lumanog from www.demotix.com
A week after the Feast of the Black Nazarene, the City of Manila comes to life once more for the Lakbayaw Festival. The festival’s highlight is a street dancing competition between religious organizations, Ati-Atihan groups, schools, and communities all vying for prizes from the Mayor.
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Sto. Niño de Malolos Festival
Malolos, Bulacan
Last Sunday of January
Photo courtesy of www.maloloscity.gov.ph
Dubbed by locals as “the biggest and largest expression of devotion to the Holy Child Jesus in Luzon”, the Sto. Niño de Malolos Festival showcases the creativity of the people from in and around Malolos in depicting the image of Sto. Niño: from traditional to very futuristic, and everything in between. The highlight of the event is the parade of the dozens of Sto. Niño images along with the hundred-year-old miraculous image of Señor Sto. Niño de Malolos.
These are just a few of the dozens of festivals held in the name of the Santo Niño every January. While these festivals show our love for festivities, they also show how much we adore the Holy Child Jesus.
Viva Señor Santo Niño!
