A CEBUANO'S HEART

Sinulog has been etched to Cebuanos' hearts, catholic or non-catholic. It is part of our culture. The earliest written tradition that we've continued until this day. Sinulog was coined from the bisaya term "Sulog" which is roughly translated to the movement of water currents. The first ever considered Sinulog festival was when the conqueror. Ferdinand Magellan, gave an image of the child Jesus to Queen Amihan and baptized both her and her husband, along with their people. Afterwards, they danced to celebrate, with the Queen Amihan carrying the baby Jesus, celebrating their acceptance of the Catholic religion.

Nowadays, we see all the banners hanging from post to post, the masses go to mass in the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño in downtown Cebu, we experience heavy traffic, and we here Sinulog music blasting from establishment to establishment.

I've always believed that Sinulog is a treasured tradition of the Cebuanos, not only because of religion, but it gave us a simple glimpse of our history. It still saddens me that we no longer know about our culture before the spaniards came, but this at least told us how the Cebuanos were. There was a monarchy, there was an army, they had their own religion, own alphabet, own language. Our history is important to be able to successfully shape our identity.

Sinulog brings a sense of togetherness within the Cebuano community. If you're a Cebuano reading this, don't deny the urge to wanna dance to the Sinulog music when you hear it around the city (LOL). Everyone gets together during the mass, during the parade, etc. celebrating our very unique tradition.

To understand the sense of camaraderie, majority of the schools all over the island of Cebu participate on the procession and parades, showcasing their routines and beautiful costumes. It gives them the opportunity to showcase their talents in a Sinulog competition called "Sinulog sa Kabataan" (Sinuglog of the Youth). They spent months practicing, staying in school until late hours to practice. It is very admirable to see such determination in the youth, that they dedicated themselves to the cause rather than doing things their parents won't like.

I pondered on these thoughts as I walk through the streets of downtown Cebu. I'm not catholic, but the sense of pride and excitement I feel towards the Sinulog festival is equated to any other devotee. I respect people's beliefs and I love culture. I see people coming from different countries visiting us for Sinulog alone. Seeing them enjoy the parade, making friends with the natives, and telling us just how beautiful it is in the Philippines. How lucky I am that I get to experience this in my home.

No matter how bad it goes, no matter how much I sometimes think I should give up on my home, I remember what it is like during events such as sinulog. The peace and togetherness, the fun, the excitement. I was diagnosed with Social Anxiety and have not been to a Sinulog festival for 3 years. I missed it. I went around walking, heart thumping to the beat of a nearby stereo playing the Sinulog theme. Maybe this year will be my comeback to Sinulog. See you all on the 21st of January!

Here's the link for the second BnW Photo Series:
https://steemit.com/photography/@pizzanniza/the-basilica-minore-del-sto-nino-de-cebu-bnw-photo-series-2

Are you excited for Sinulog? Comment down below and tell me what you think! Upvote and Resteem! Salamat! xx