Culture

Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Sinulog 2018

The holidays may be over, but in some ways in Cebu the joyous crowd extends and it only means one thing: a Sinulog Fever.

While the country’s biggest festival is best known for the crazy parties happening on the streets, Sinulog goes beyond that. Here’s everything you need to know for Sinulog 2018.

HISTORY OF SINULOG

As always, we always understand why and how it started.

“One Beat. One Dance. One Vision.” This theme has continuously defined the grandiose Sinulog celebration that attracts revelers every year. A festival that can be traced back to a rich history, Sinulog has always been identified with the Queen City—linking us with our pagan past and our Christian present.

At the time when our ancestors worshipped wooden idols and anitos, Sinulog was already a dance ritual honoring these elements. Upon the arrival in 1521 of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan who introduced Christianity to the country, he presented the Santo Niño image as a baptismal gift to Cebu’s ruler Rajah Humabon and his wife, Hara Amihan. Subsequently, the natives were converted to Christianity and started offering dances but this time in reverence to the Child Jesus.

The term Sinulog comes from the Cebuano word “sulog” which means “water current movement”. The rhythmically forward-backward dance steps of Santo Niño devotees during the Sinulog Grand Parade is said to resemble the movement of currents of water. Cebu’s first Sinulog parade took place in 1980, and the festival has now been institutionalized, making it an annual event.

Today, Sinulog is one of the grandest, most colorful and best-known festivals in the country. A cultural-religious celebration that lasts for nine days, it involves solemn activities widely participated in by Cebuanos whose deep faith in the Holy Child go beyond boundaries. The massive preparation and warm welcome put up by the locals for the upcoming Sinulog festival truly proves their strong devotion to the Santo Niño who has greatly influenced the lives of the Cebuano people. (By Ansylle Mae Bontuyan)

NOVENA MASSES SCHEDULE

Throught that, it is said that the image is stored in what is today the Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino—where thousands of faithfuls will come every year to worship and give praise the Holy Child. Up until now, Sinulog can’t be done without the novena schedule that succeeds prior to the Pista Señor, that is in honor of the Sr. Sto. Nino.

Here’s the schedule of some of the activities at the Basilica.

January 11, Thursday – Opening Salvo

4:00am – Walk With Jesus

5:30am – Holy Mass (Installation of Hermano Mayor and Hermana Mayores 2018)

And with some of the novena masses schedules done from January 11-18, 2018.

4:00am – Holy Mass (Cebuano)

5:30am – Holy Mass (Cebuano)

7:00am – Holy Mass (Cebuano)

8:30am – Holy Mass (English)

10:00am – Holy Mass (Cebuano)

11:30am – Holy Mass (English)

1:00pm – Holy Mass (English)

2:30pm – Holy Mass (Cebuano)

4:00pm – Holy Mass (Cebuano)

5:30pm – Holy Mass (English)

7:00pm – Holy Mass (English)

January 19, Friday

4:00am – Walk With Mary

7:00am – Traslacion (going to National Shrine of Saint Joseph Parish, Mandaue City)

January 20, Saturday (Visperas)

3:00am – Traslacion (from Mandaue to the National Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Regla Parish, Lapu-lapu City)

6:00am – Fluvial Procession

9:00am – Renactment of the First Mass, Wedding and Baptism

1:00pm – Solem Procession

6:00pm – Pontifical Mass

January 21, Sunday (Fiesta Señor Day)

4:00am – Mañanita Mass

6:00am – Pontifical Mass

followed by regular Sunday mass schedules

Source: Sinulog Foundation Website (for full details visit the website them here)

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

On to the festival side, there’s a lot we can expect to. From gigantes to dances, here’s the schedule to some of the highlights this Sinulog.

January 1 – 30 – Sinulog Street Fair

January 12, Friday – Sinulog 2018 Kick Off

January 13, Saturday – Sinulog sa Lalawigan

January 14, Sunday – Sinulog sa Barangay

January 15, Monday – Cultural Show at Plaza Independencia

Sinulog Idol Eliminations

January 18, Thursday – Sinulog Festival Queen 2018 Photoshoot

– Sinulog Festival Queen 2018 Parade of Costumes & Runway Competition at SM City Cebu

– Sky Night at Plaza Independencia

January 19, Friday – Festival Queen Coronation Night at Cebu City Sports Center

– Dance Crew Grand Showdown at Cebu City Sports Center

January 20, Saturday – Sinulog 2018 Grand Finals at Plaza Independencia

– Sinulog 2018 Fireworks Competition at SM City Cebu

January 21, Sunday – Sinulog Grand Parade

Source: Sinulog Foundation Website (for full details visit the website them here)

SINULOG WEEKEND WARPLAN

Now for the parties, we never get tired of having fun during these times. As it becomes a yearly habit for us. We give you the following schedule for the ultimate Sinulog parties that will take place in the city.

January 19, Friday

Lifedance

City di Mare, South Road Properties

January 20, Saturday

Plus 63 Music and Arts Festival

Cebu Business Park

Hyper Wonderland

Axis Entertainment Avenue

Paintensity

SM Seaside City Open Grounds

January 21, Sunday

Neon Jungle: Sinulog Music Festival

The Sentral Cebu, Norkis Cyberpark, Mandaue City

SINULOG GRAND PARADE CONTEST

Tickets are sold through Sinulog Foundation Inc. You can visit the website here. (https://sinulog.ph/shop/)

SINULOG ROUTE MAP

Plan ahead as we don’t know how much traffic we can get and we can contribute. Please see the following route through this website. sinulog.ph

Culture

Cebuano Pride: The National Museum of Cebu

Pride of Cebu

By Eva Gullas

photos courtesy of DOT

“With the National Museum of Cebu, the cradle of Christianity in the country, we open the doors to a temple in history and culture, inviting tourists and locals to witness our archaeological and natural treasures. The NMP-Cebu is not just a museum but a bridge to our past and a window into our future,” declares Christina Frasco, our Secretary of Tourism, at the ceremonial opening last July 28.

Located at the heart of the city’s historic port area, the former colonial Customs House, built in 1910, was transformed into an elegant edifice worthy of the city’s place in history. It was in Cebu where the Spanish conquistadors first landed in 1521 and where Magellan met his end at the hands of the local chieftain Lapu-Lapu. Starting August 1, the National Museum of Cebu will open its doors daily from 9 am to 5 pm except Monday.

Cebu City Tourism’s Neil Odjigue, Cembeth Hortillano and CCTC Chairperson Joy Pesquera

Worth checking is the first floor, where a few art pieces from national artists like Cebu’s own Martino Abellana, Fernando Amorsolo, and Jose Joya take pride of place. On the right wing are finds from archeological digs found all over the islands. Called Ang Karaang Sugbo or Old Cebu, they include a gold death mask and ancient vases from China. There’s also Kinaiyahan: Cebu’s Natural Wonders, which features an impressive wall containing the different layers underneath our soil. There is also a display case that interactively showcases the various elements around the area, like gold, copper, and gypsum. Another wing is Paglawig: Cultural Movember Across the Seas, showcasing the islands’ maritime history and sea bounty, including rare shells.

Museum Director Jeremy Barns, Maryanne Arculli, Andronik Aboitiz and wife Doreen, Amanda Luym

Some of the abstract art from the New York collection

It is on the second floor, though, where the museum shines. Up the grand staircase, guests are greeted by Elmer Borlongan’s massive Battle of Mactan, facing a facsimile of the Sta Maria galleon, Magellan’s flagship. Then on to a limited-time exhibit on loan from the Philippine Center New York Core Collection of 1974, a treasure trove of almost 90 paintings collected by former First Lady Imelda Marcos, including Ang Kioks, Sanso, Manuel Rodrigues, and many more representing both avant-garde and classic Filipino masters. The New York collection is only available until March 2024 and is not to be missed.

Writer Eva Gullas beside Elmer Borlongan’s Battle of Mactan

The National Museum Cebu has been years in the making, and this cultural milestone has finally been made possible under the new administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who famously said during the inauguration, “I am a museum fan, and I can stay in art museums for hours and hours.” He added, ” museums are considered valuable natural assets to a nation as they build a sense of community, document history, inspire creativity, promote tourism, and unite people through a shared heritage.” Kudos to the National Museum Board of Trustees, chaired by Andoni Aboitiz and Museum Director Jeremy Barnes, for this cultural gift to Cebu!

Culture

The Uncommon Traditions that Mexicans and Filipinos share when celebrating the Day of the Dead.

Dia de los Muertos

By Allain Dumon Fonte

The 2nd of November is All Soul’s Day, a holiday that is very important to many Filipinos to remember our loved ones who passed on. This is also widely celebrated in Mexico as “Dia De los Muertos” or in English, “The Day of the Dead”. And Mexicans celebrate the 2nd of November grander than they celebrate Christmas. Well, you can witness it from the Disney movie, “Coco”.

As All Soul’s Day or Dia de los Muertos is about to end, here are some interesting traditions and superstitions that Filipinos and Mexicans share:

1. IT IS NOT ON THE 31st OF OCTOBER

Dia de los Muertos or All Soul’s Day is not practiced on October 31st or on the Hallow’s Eve as many other western cultures practice; but we celebrate it on the 2nd of November. We celebrate November 1st as All Saint’s Day or the Day of the Holy, while in Mexico they call it Dia de los Innocentes or Dia de los Angelitos to commemorate the children who died too early in life.

2. THE RITUAL

Both in Mexico and in the Philippines, we visit the grave of our loved ones and we clean it well. This is a ritual to honour their resting places and to let them know that they are never forgotten.

3. FLOWERS INVITE SPIRITS

In Mexico, they believe that the scent of flowers attract spirits. So the flower offerings are invitation to their dead loved ones to visit the living families. While in the Philippines, we believe that flowers offered to the dead exalt the souls and somehow fill in the sadness that we feel when missing our dead loved ones.

Most of the time, Filipinos choose all-white flowers to offer because white is the absence of colour, which means the absence of Joy and happiness. White also symbolises purity of soul which we hope our dead loved ones will attain as they journey to heaven. While in Mexico, they have the yellow Mexican marigolds as the official flowers of the dead that will guide them in their journey to the afterlife.

4. THE LEGEND OF THE MONARCH BUTTERFLIES

Both cultures believe that monarch butterflies are dead loved ones who visit us and show their appreciation that we have not forgotten them. A presence of monarch butterflies also means that our dead loved ones are always there guiding us and looking after us.

5. A PICNIC IN THE GRAVEYARD

Spending a night at the graveyard and picnicking with the rest of the family may sound very creepy to many; but to both Filipino and Mexican cultures, picnicking and spending a night at the cemetery is a must to show our love to our dearly departed. It is the only time in the year that families gather and tell stories of the dead loved ones and how colourful or how great their lives were.

6. FOOD FOR THE DEAD

In Mexico, they have what they call “ofrendas” or an altar where the pictures of their dead loved ones are displayed and offered with flowers, candles, and their favourite food. Very similar to the Filipino culture of cooking the favourite food of our dead loved ones and everyone in the family enjoys the food for dinner.

My family tradition involves me driving all the way to Colon street and buy that famous Snow Sheen’s “pancit canton”. This is my granddad’s favourite snack. Sadly, the old Visayan Restaurant is no longer there. My late uncle and my late grandpa love their sweet ad and sour fish. We also set up an “ofrenda” on their graveyard and eat their favourite food while picnicking in the cemetery. We do not spend a night in the cemetery; but while we are picnicking there, we usually play the songs of Pilita Corrales and Susan Fuentes that my late grandpa used to listen every afternoon while enjoying his coffee, pan de sal, and pancit canton.

What about your family traditions? Share your thoughts by commenting to this article.

MODEL: Michael Joseph Mortola Enriquez & Alexis Wingfield
PHOTOGRAPHER: Gianne Paolo Anciano
HMUA/DESIGNER: Hazel Ocaba
STYLING: GPA Lifestyle + Clothing

Culture

Catch Ted Lasso the Emmy Award Winning Comedy Series on Apple TV+

Catch Ted Lasso the Emmy Award Winning Comedy Series on Apple TV+

Rating: *****/ *****

The multi award–winning comedy series airing on Apple TV+ is one of my favorite shows. Ted Lasso starring Jason Sudeikis is about a fun good-natured American football coached hired by a British soccer club (AFC Richmond in London) to become their new coach. In spite of the fact that Ted has no experience or knowledge about British football/soccer, his positive demeanor and charm helps him overcome the animosity of the team’s players, staff and fans. Eventually Ted wins over the team and the locals as they fight for position in the English Premier League.

The show won the 2021 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series and 7 Emmy Awards in its 2 seasons and Season 3 is just around the corner. You can catch Seasons 1 & 2 of Ted Lasso on Apple TV+