This picture was taken during the contest of Sinulog 2008

Yesterday’s weather was cool and windy in here and it’s hard to focus on work when the weather makes you sleepy. And today’s weather is hot, quite the opposite but it’s good so that I won’t get sleepy. =) I watched the local news last night and people in here are very much busy preparing for the feast which is “Sinulog”. It’s actually also my first time to witness this event so I’m excited myself. I was told by my friend that this Saturday and Sunday some streets would be closed for this event so I might as well buy the stuffs that I need because I would be having a hard time going to the malls since it would be traffic. People from all over the Philippines usually come to Cebu to witness this event, so I know it would truly be crowded but I’ve prepare myself to join the crowd. =)

Sinulog is the celebration which is held every 3^rd Sunday of January. to honor the Santo Niño, or the child Jesus, who used to be the patron saint of the whole province of Cebu (since in the Catholic faith Jesus is not a saint, but God). It is essentially a dance ritual which remembers the Filipino people’s pagan past and their acceptance of Christianity.

The festival features some the country’s most colorful displays of pomp and pageantry: participants garbed in bright-colored costumes dance to the rhythm of drums, trumpets, and native gongs. The streets are usually lined with vendors and pedestrians all wanting to witness the street-dancing. Smaller versions of the festival are also held in various parts of the province, also to celebrate and honor the Santo Niño.

Recently, the cultural event has been commercialized as a tourist attraction and instead of traditional street-dancing from locals, Sinulog also came to mean a contest featuring contingents from various parts of the country. The Sinulog Contest is traditionally held in the Cebu City Sports Complex, where most of Cebu’s major provincial events are held.