Red-and-gold shimmering dresses twirled to the sound of pulsating music and rhythmic claps in celebration of the Santo Niño de Cebú, the Child Jesus of the Philippines, in Maricopa last night.
The Sinulog Festival that fills the streets of Cebu, the Pacific island nation’s most populous province, on the third Sunday of every January is the center of the annual Santo Niño Christian celebrations in the Philippines.
The festival came to Our Lady of Grace Church as “Sinulog sa Maricopa” at 6 p.m. Saturday (9 a.m. Sunday in Cebu) for the third time ever. Attendance was more than double last year’s headcount.
“He’s a symbol,” Santa Rosa Crossings resident Adrian Sanguyo said of Santo Niño de Cebú, the statuette of the Child Jesus gifted to Rajah Humabon of Cebu by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, marking the moment Christianity was introduced to the islands.
“It’s where we draw our strength in everyday life and struggles. We believe in something,” Sanguyo said of the symbol he calls “a magnet of love.”
Queen Juana, Rajah Humabon’s wife, danced while holding the statuette, according to tradition. The other natives joined in, marking what is considered the first Sinulog dance.
Sinulog comes from a combination of Tagalog words: “sug” means waves or current, like the stepping forward and back in the dance, and “saulog” means to celebrate or praise.
“She danced with the Santo Niño very gracefully,” said Benedict Diola, a devotee of the Santo Niño. “She’s giving pride that she has Santo Niño, and that’s how the dance came to be.”
That dance is what locals gathered and recreated in the halls of Our Lady of Grace Church last night, before everyone gathered outside for a potluck.
Some brought pizzas and others brought lechon, a Filipino roast pig. Everyone shared smiles to celebrate their “magnet of love.”
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Maricopans celebrate the Sinulog Festival at the Our Lady of Grace Church Jan. 18, 2025. [Brian Petersheim Jr.]
Maricopans celebrate the Sinulog Festival at the Our Lady of Grace Church Jan. 18, 2025. [Brian Petersheim Jr.]
Maricopans celebrate the Sinulog Festival at the Our Lady of Grace Church Jan. 18, 2025. [Brian Petersheim Jr.]
Maricopans celebrate the Sinulog Festival at the Our Lady of Grace Church Jan. 18, 2025. [Brian Petersheim Jr.]
Maricopans celebrate the Sinulog Festival at the Our Lady of Grace Church Jan. 18, 2025. [Brian Petersheim Jr.]
Maricopans celebrate the Sinulog Festival at the Our Lady of Grace Church Jan. 18, 2025. [Brian Petersheim Jr.]
Maricopans celebrate the Sinulog Festival at the Our Lady of Grace Church Jan. 18, 2025. [Brian Petersheim Jr.]
Maricopans celebrate the Sinulog Festival at the Our Lady of Grace Church Jan. 18, 2025. [Brian Petersheim Jr.]
Maricopans celebrate the Sinulog Festival at the Our Lady of Grace Church Jan. 18, 2025. [Brian Petersheim Jr.]
Maricopans celebrate the Sinulog Festival at the Our Lady of Grace Church Jan. 18, 2025. [Brian Petersheim Jr.]
Maricopans celebrate the Sinulog Festival at the Our Lady of Grace Church Jan. 18, 2025. [Brian Petersheim Jr.]
Maricopans celebrate the Sinulog Festival at the Our Lady of Grace Church Jan. 18, 2025. [Brian Petersheim Jr.]
Maricopans celebrate the Sinulog Festival at the Our Lady of Grace Church Jan. 18, 2025. [Brian Petersheim Jr.]
Maricopans celebrate the Sinulog Festival at the Our Lady of Grace Church Jan. 18, 2025. [Brian Petersheim Jr.]
This post ‘Sinulog sa Maricopa’: A Filipino tradition upheld across the world appeared first on InMaricopa.