The Child's Feast

        Festive! Glorious! Tremendous! This is how I describe the atmosphere of Cebu, the Queen City of the South, as its people celebrate the annual feast of the Child Jesus or Señor Santo Niño mainly on the 3^rd Sunday of January. This feast is popularly known as SINULOG. According to a reliable source, Sinulog is a dance ritual in honor of the miraculous image of the Santo Niño. The dance moves two steps forward and one step backward to the sound of the drums. This resembles the current (Sulog) of what was then known as Cebu's Pahina River. Thus, in Cebuano, they say it's Sinulog. It is a nine-day fiesta celebration in honor of Sto. Nino. The celebration entails two major activities: the religious procession on a Saturday and the grand street parade the following day. (www.sinulog.ph)

      Sinulog Festival is definitely a crowd-puller. People from various places flock to Cebu to witness this spectacle. During the celebration, an ocean of people at the heart of Cebu is expected especially during the Fluvial and the Street Parade which serve as the highlights of the Sinulog celebration.

      Much has been said, but what really is the essence of celebrating this festival? Is it just all about the parade? The colorful costumes? The street dancing? Is it merely a spectacle? What does this festival imply?

       Sinulog is not just all about the things mentioned beforehand but just as a dish needs spices to be delicious and yummy, people need those things to make Sinulog Festival merrier and livelier. Some people may not know about this, but there is more to Sinulog than just the spices added to it.  It's all about the strong faith of the people to their Patron Saint that no matter how struggling the parade will be, considering that the crowd is so hard to control and some people may become violent due to inevitable troubles, they still walk with the crowd despite the sweat, the heat, and the possibility of being suffocated and being stranded. This only goes to show how devoted Cebuanos are and how determined they are to do what they can do to show their immeasurable faith to Senior Sto. Niño.

      Some people may appreciate; some people may criticize; some people may say “I don't care!”; some people may remain “speechless” about Sinulog Festival, a feast that has been celebrated for a number of decades, one thing is for sure, Sinulog will continue to prosper as long as Cebu exists and as long as Cebuanos live. Viva Pit Senyor!

My First Foreign Interface

       It is no secret that Cebu City is swarmed with people coming from different parts of the globe; Americans, Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, to name but a few. Having grown up in a place where a scenario like this is totally unusual; these people arouse my interest and they really bring excitement in me. I have seen a number of them many times, but never had I got the chance to talk to them or to get to know them face to face, eye to eye, side by side. I have been dreaming and figuring this out for so long and I never thought that this dream would be granted and handed to me in a silver platter, in such an unexpected circumstance last January 7, 2012, Saturday. A dream came true, should I say.

       I got the chance to have a friendly interview with  a Korean student named Byun Jae Hoon (Korean name) or Jay (English name). He is 24 years old and a native of Seoul, Korea. Listening to music, playing soccer, and swimming are the things he loves to do. He only has one word to describe Philippines and that is "beautiful". He loves the beaches here.

       This interview taught me and showed me the idea of cultural diversity; how important it is to develop awareness of individual culture; and how to adjust with this individual in order to communicate effectively. Both of us did not come over on the same ship, but we are in the same boat so we have to build harmony with each other to reach the shore peacefully.

       The best thing that made me so grateful about this first foreign interface is that, it is not only a "dream came true" but it is also something I can learn from and I can look back into with a smile painted on my face.