Page 6 - HGS Suburb News 144 - December 2020

Youth

FES TIV ALS OF THE W ORLD

A festival a day for the Filipinos!

Even though the festival is over 500 years old, it was modernised about 40 years ago when
the first Sinulog parade was organised. The event celebrated the traditional Sinulog dances
with a collaborative performance between several PE teachers from local schools and
universities. Since then, these festivities have increased in size and popularity, and last about
10 days. Every year, millions of tourists and locals flock to witness its buoyant atmosphere,
rhythmic music and colourful costumes.
So what is the festival like? On the third Sunday of January, brightly coloured dancers in
fabulous parades fill the streets of Cebu, in the southern Philippines. Thudding drums and
lively music reverberate through the air, crowds cheer loudly at the lavishly decorated floats
passing by the specially erected grandstands. Beautifully costumed performers dance their
mesmerising steps, forward-backward, forward-backward, mimicking the Sulog (the current
of the river) which the festival is named after. These traditional dances, once performed to
idols, now pay homage to the Santo Niño (Baby Jesus) - which is where the festival gets its
second name: the Sinulog Santo Niño festival.
To start with, the image of Santo Niño is taken to various important buildings in Cebu city,
then the festival kicks off with a Catholic mass and an opening parade. Throughout the week,
there are daily live concerts, various cultural events and a multitude of competitions. The
Sinulog Competitions include dance competitions, a film festival, Sinulog Idol (a singing
competition), and the annual search for the Sinulog Festival Queen.
On the main day of the festival, after another early morning mass, the Sinulog Grand
Parade runs until the evening, ending with two grand firework displays. Re-enactments of the
Sinulog’s history are depicted on several procession floats, which are usually very elaborate,
and the Parade can last nearly 12 hours!
an you imagine having something to celebrate every single day? In the Philippines, there’s
During the celebrations, there are numerous lively street parties involving spontaneous
Cno need to imagine - every year the collective communities on its 7,100 islands celebrate
group hugging, the throwing of drinks or even paint. Despite being one of the oldest Filipino
over 42,000 festivals. Many of these have both cultural and religious roots. The Philippines
festivals, Sinulog has adapted to modern
have a large Roman Catholic influence thanks to Spanish conquests in the 1500s (the name times and is still a vibrant centre of partying!
“Philippines” comes from King Philip II of Spain). Previously pagan festivals became Christianised
This year, with COVID-19 restrictions, all
when both Spanish and native cultures became entwined.
events will be either online or outdoors and
Besides the Western influence, an impressive diversity of ethnicities provides the Philippines
socially distanced.
with a rich culture of celebrations. There are festivals lasting over a month (Panagbenga
With a complex cultural history and an
festival, celebrating flowers), ancient festivals (the over 800-year-old Ati-Atihan festival), and
uncertain future, at their core, these festivals
newer festivals (the Pineapple festival started in 1993). Each festival brings together a
still bring together families and communities
community to celebrate with colourful decorations, dancing, singing and feasting. I’ll be
to celebrate their heritage and beliefs.
taking a closer look at the Sinulog Santo Niño festival, one of the oldest Filipino festivals, which
Perhaps this reminds us of what our own
originates from the pre-Christian Philippines.
festivals mean to us – that festive spirit that
Sinulog is an especially interesting festival, because it was developed amidst a transition in
bonds together family, friends and strangers:
Filipino society – the arrival of the Spanish – and uniquely celebrates the old and the new
all are welcome. Popular festival food is street food, for example puso
cultures side by side.
ISABELLE H (hanging packages of rice wrapped in leaves). Cebu City is
also famed for its barbecue.
The Pagan wheel of festivals
or centuries people all over the world have been using the turning points of nature as a cause to celebrate. Our pagan
Fancestors had their own traditions and customs, which soon trickled down into modern religion and heavily influences
the festivals we still celebrate today. The wheel was invented in the late 1960’s, for modern pagan practitioners to keep
track of the festivals. These old pagan festivals are still celebrated by neo-pagans. Here are just a few of the many
pagan festivals:
Imbolc celebrates the first day of spring. The Celts of Ireland and England initially used it as a day to celebrate their
goddess Bridgid. Over the centuries Bridgid was adopted into Christianity as St. Bridgid. In Christianity, Candlemas is
celebrated on the same day to commemorate the ritual purification of the Virgin Mary (in Catholicism).
Ostara, the spring equinox is usually celebrated on March 21st. It is a festival of new life and birth. Eggs were painted
and eaten on this day to symbolise new life. Easter likely evolved from the word Ostara. This festival correlates with Easter
and some modern traditions such as egg hunts and Easter eggs were taken from pagan practices.
Lughnasadh (loo-na-sa) is commonly known as the harvest festival. Harvest festivals are celebrated throughout the year
by many communities. The Gaelic version is celebrated on August 1st when the community comes together to offer the fruits
of the harvest to the gods. In Hinduism, the Harvest is celebrated in January and is called Pongal; farmers give thanks to the
sun god for a successful harvest.
Mabon, the autumn equinox celebrates the second harvest and the start of winter. In Christianity the closest festival to
Mabon (which is no longer widely observed) is Michaelmas. Higan, is a six-day Buddhist celebration in Japan during the

September equinox. It is a time to remember the dead by visiting, cleaning, and decorating their graves. El Dia de los Muertos
is a similar festival celebrated in Mexico. The mid-autumn or moon festival celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese
Maths communities honours the harvest moon and celebrates the abundance of the

summer’s harvest. In Judaism, the harvest festival is known as Succot and is
celebrated around September/October depending on the Lunar calendar.
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The Burning of the Clavie which is an old Pagan
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Contact: 07811 254061 MADHU K 11 January 2020.

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