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After a crazy day out in Cebu City, I feel it is necessary to reflect on my Sinulog experience. My first exposure to the celebration was extremely positive and as usual, it was completely different to what I had been expecting.

We set off from our hotel early in the morning to pick up my girlfriend’s mother. She had also never experienced Sinulog so we wanted to take her to see it while she was in Cebu.

Now Cebu isn’t exactly a big city but for some reason, I was thinking we had a long ride ahead to get to her mother’s accommodation. Surprisingly, within the space of roughly 30 minutes, we managed to –

take a ride out to where she was staying
we waited for her to get ready for the celebration
We then took another ride back to Mango Avenue

I’m usually not a fan of wasting time, so this efficient start to the morning put me in a good mood.

Experiencing the Sinulog Festival

We had arrived to the festival early that morning. The streets had yet to reach their peak in regards to crowd size. What stood out to me at that point was the number of street vendors operating around Mango Avenue. Every spare inch of space along the side of the street had been filled with vendors.

We began to make our way down mango avenue to find food. The lack of crowds gave us the prime opportunity to eat before the streets began to fill up. Plus, the parade still had roughly 7 hours left until it ended so we were in no rush to begin watching it.

After eating we managed to walk a short distance along the side of the street until we eventually found a break in the crowd where we could see the parade. There we watched the amazing of music, dance, and costumes along with the celebrity performances which really left an impression on me. After seeing the rich display of culture it was hard for me not to fall in love with Sinulog.

After a long day of taking photos and watching the performances, we decided to end the day and take care of a few responsibilities. This took us away from the epicenter of Sinulog for the rest of the evening…

Return to the Sinulog Festival

Where we were staying is actually one street away from the epicentre of the Sinulog parade. We had begun our journey home for the evening to call it a night. At that point, it was beginning to hit the early hours of the morning.

We had taken a motorbike so we could get as close to the hotel as possible. Considering the streets were full of people getting home via a taxi was near to impossible.

By that time the streets had reopened, the crowds were still becoming increasingly dense, so using the motorbike eventually became pointless. At this point, the dynamic had completely changed. We were walking into a completely different atmosphere. The family dynamic atmosphere had left and was replaced by an air of anarchy.

What had put me in this mildly negative frame of mind stemmed from a couple of immediate experiences which ruined the mindset I was in after a really fun day at the parade.

As we walked into the crowd people began to turn to us and throw paint at us which at that point I was completely used to and totally fine with. But then we had individuals taking advantage of the circumstances and pushing the boundaries.

On a couple of occasions as I was greeting people, I was hit in the head from behind on both occasions by young men who would immediately run to hide in the crowd.

It didn’t really get to me at that point, From what I saw they both just looked like some young drunk street kids. So I’m sure they had been neglected by their parents, in teaching them any sort of behavioural boundaries.

Shortly after those two incidents we became stuck in a crowd of people trying to squeeze through the traffic around Fuente circle. I slid past the back of an ambulance which had its lights and sirens going, in the back, the curtains had been left open.

The ambulances sirens were so loud it was almost deafening, the driver was also holding on the horn. Despite this it wasn’t going anywhere. The crowd was just too thick. No one seemed to want to pay attention or even acknowledge that it was there.

Time to go home?

So there I was sandwiched between a group of people and the back window of the ambulance. I turned my head and was immediately hit with a strange feeling of frustration and sadness.

An older gentleman was laying on a stretcher in the back with a nurse by his side. He was trying to breathe in so deeply I could see his chest lifting up from the stretcher. This disturbed me, as this man was being prevented from receiving the help he needed due to completely avoidable circumstances.

It disturbed me seeing people drunkenly celebrating this day in honour of the baby Jesus, sliding around this ambulance without a care in the world while literally not even a meter away from them, a man who could have easily been any of their fathers looked like he was fighting for his life.

At that point I was done, I was yelled over to my girlfriend who was a couple of meters away, telling her to stick close to me as we would start trying to get home. Moments later I hear her yell, saying someone had been rubbing their fingers down her back.

I had been patient up until then, but for me, that was time to get out of there. I pulled my girlfriend right up behind me and began to use my size to get through the crowds. We were finally making some progress.

As we began to approach our accommodation the crowds began to thicken up again. We had to stop in at a 7/11 to get some refreshments and water for the hotel. At that point, I was beginning to feel a lot more positive as we were almost home. But it turned out the events for the evening had not yet come to a conclusion.

As I walked out of the store a young man immediately decided to step in front of me. He then wittily remarked that he found a souvenir, he then reached over and pulled the hat from my head. It was beyond me why somebody this size would want to fight somebody having a significant size advantage over them.

I immediately pushed the guy straight back, he stumbled into the people standing behind him. I went to grab my hat back, but he had decided to keep going so he reached up and grabbed both my wrists. This got me more frustrated so I through my elbow around aiming for his face; but at this point, it was broken up.

My hat was returned to me, then we moved on. By the time I got home, I had completely flipped from being in love with the celebration to resenting it.

Summary of my Sinulog experience

The incidents involving the bad behaviour did not disturb me as much as I thought it would. It was easy to see most of those people were extremely drunk, plus I achieve nothing by dwelling on it.

Now I am at a point where I have kind of compartmentalised my Sinulog experience into two different sessions. I like to think that what I experienced during the day was the true nature of Sinulog.

I spent the day surrounded by thousands of people and only had a handful of negative experiences after the conclusion of the festival. It’s just a shame that it is those negative experiences which usually stand out the most.

The fact is that if you have that many people together in one place it is almost inevitable that there are going to be some arseholes present. For me, that point needs to be recognised in order to move on and see the celebration for what it really was.

For me, it’s a beautiful day out in Cebu surrounded by family, experiencing a rich display of the culture and history of the area. I now realise that I really am thankful that I got to be part of the magical experience for the first time this year. I look forward to again joining the celebrations many more times in the future.

As I’m sure most of you are aware, The Philippines is host to a wide variety of festivals. These festivals are usually in place as an expression of thanksgiving and honour to a patron saint.

You have the MassKara festival in Bacolod City, Panagbenga Festival in Baguio City, and Kadayawn Festival in Davao City to name a few.

Then there is Cebu, which is home to the internationally renowned festival – Sinulog.

Now, for a quick recap:

In the era before Spanish colonisation, the island of Cebu was once known as Zubu. It was primarily inhabited by pagans and Islamic tribes. These tribes established a history of trade with other Asian countries long before the Spanish colonial era.

Sinulog Festival history: Origins of the Santo Niño

Historical records suggest the wooden statue of the baby Jesus was a gift from Ferdinand Magellan to the wife of Rajah Humabon. This was Cebu’s chieftain at the time of Magellan’s arrival to Cebu. The wooden statue, known as the Santo Niño, is still found on the island of Cebu to this day.

It’s kept in a secure location inside the Santo Niño and San Nicholas De Tolentino church. The Santo Niño became the symbol of friendship and the natives’ conversion to Christianity. The Sinulog festival of the Cebuano’s symbolises their unending devotion to the baby Jesus.

In Cebu, it is during Sinulog that the Cebuano’s honour the feast of Child Jesus, Santo Niño. It is believed the Child Jesus protects the whole province from natural calamities and other disasters. The Cebuano’s show their gratitude to Santo Niño through their faith and devotion, especially during its feast day.

The Sinulog experience: Cebu comes to life

While there are about a hundred major festivals in the country, Cebu’s Sinulog is one of the biggest. Filipinos from across the country look forward to this event. Locals work hard to prepare for the much awaited Sinulog Festival and the multitude of tourists that come with it. These tourists travel to Cebu to witness the grand annual celebration set for the 3rd Sunday in January.

The festivity on this premier island in the Central Visayas is divided into two parts – the religious practice and the celebrations.

A nine-day novena kicks off the Sinulog celebration. Millions of Santo Niño devotees from across the country attend the religious activities of the event. In fact, the authorities make it a point that all pilgrims who are struggling financially are accommodated in the Devotee City. It should be noted that most city hotels at this time are fully occupied. Thus, tourists planning to join the Sinulog fun must make their bookings early.

On the first Saturday of the celebrations, devotees wake up early for the Fluvial Procession. Then later in the afternoon the Solemn Procession is held. It is good to know both activities are always well attended despite their early start.

Children celebrating Sinulog festival on the island of Cebu in The Philippines

Cebu immersed in celebration

The streets are crowded with parties all over the city. Celebrities and politicians visit Cebu to be a part of the parade and further celebrations. The event runs for a month with the Grand Parade featuring the street dancing as the highlight.

You may be asking – What makes the Sinulog Festival so Successful?

A significant factor is the faith of the Cebuanos. While, yes, Cebuanos are in the mood to party during Sinulog. But still, the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño is full during the celebration. This means Cebuanos do not forget the real essence of celebrating the feast in the birth of Christ.

Credit should be given to the Sinulog organisers for their efforts in lining up all activities. They take care of security and crowd control – a crucial part of the entire event. The contingents too deserve appreciation for continually improving on their dances, especially considering this is the main feature of the grand aprade.

But really any time of the year, the vibrant culture and scenery of the Philippines is always available for tourists and other visitors. For tourists, to be in the Philippines means to experience a vacation in a land which many call paradise. The country will surely entertain everyone. Especially those who have a love for excitement and adventure.

The country is culturally diverse, with many residents having Spanish, American, Chines4e, and Malay blood. The Philippine seas and beaches are indeed havens of white sands and charming beach houses or villas. The underwater landscapes are enough to captivate every fan of diving and snorkelling. The Philippines is a must-visit tourist destin ation for any keen traveller.

I recently had the pleasure of attending the Sinulog festival for the first time, read the summary of my experience here.

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My feelings For Sinulog Festival