SINULOG FESTIVAL

Festivals act like stress relievers and help us balance our emotions. More positivity
naturally lowers negativity. It also provides an opportunity to reduce friction and brings
estranged friends and relatives together in a bond of love. Nothing brings people together like
festivals do. Especially here in the Philippines.

I think the most exciting and awaited festival here in the Philippines is the Sinulog
Festival, It was attended, not only by Filipinos, but people coming from different parts of the
globe also went to witness the celebration. The magnificence of the festival made Filipinos, as
well as our fellow Asians, refer to it as the “Mother of all Festivals”. From the colorful and well-
made costumes of the dancers, to the beautiful dances and to the music brought by the drums,
trumpets, and the native gongs, the Sinulog Festival never ceases to amaze its audience. Sinulog
Festival is a traditional celebration in Cebu City held every third Sunday of January to honor the
Santo Niño (Child Jesus). Basically, the festival is done by a dance ritual, in which it tells the
story of the Filipino people’s pagan past and their acceptance of Christianity. The
word “Sinulog”means “graceful dance”, wherein it all started in 1980 with a simple dance that
represents the “sulog” (or current) of a river in Cebu. With the celebration’s evolution, the
Sinulog Festival has become a month long tradition in Cebu. The most-awaited feature,
nevertheless, is the Sinulog Grand Parade which was held on the 15th day of January. “One Beat,
One Dance, One Vision. Cebu – City of Culture” was the theme adopted for the 2012 Sinulog
Festival.

Philippine festivals are town fiestas celebrating moments in history that defined identity,
polity and locality. Celebration of the arts and culture, albeit made central to these festivities,
only comes as a texture instead of text in the whole exercise of the Festival. This articulation of
the festival differs entirely from the European frame borrowed from Bernard Faivre D’Arcier
(former Director of the Avignon Festival) that “the true role of the festival is for artists to dare, to
engage in new projects”. Despite the cultural divides of eastern and western thoughts, Philippine
festivals are still festivals nonetheless.