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| Cebu City at night |
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| The Magellan's Cross |
| Church in Cebu, The Holy Infant Jesus
Cebu City is a significant cultural centre in the
Philippines. The imprint of Spanish and Roman Catholic culture is evident. The
city's most famous landmark is Magellan's Cross. This cross, now housed in
a chapel, is reputed to have been planted by Ferdinand Magellan (Fernão Magalhães) when he arrived in
the Philippines in 1521. It was encased in hollow tindalo wood in 1835 upon the order
of the Augustinian Bishop Santos Gómez Marañon to prevent devotees
from taking it home chip by chip. The same bishop restored the present template
or kiosk, located at the present Magallanes street between the City Hall and Colegio del Santo Niño.
Revered by Filipinos, the Magellan's Cross is a symbol of Christianity in the
Philippines.
A few steps away from the Magellan's Cross is
the Basilica Minore del Santo
Niño (Church of the Holy Child). This is an Augustinian church elevated to
the rank of Basilica in 1965 during the 400th year celebrations of Christianity
in the Philippines, held in Cebu. The church, which was the first to be
established in the islands, is built of hewn stone and features the country's
oldest relic, the figure of the Santo Niño de Cebú (Holy Child of
Cebu).
This religious event is celebrated during the island's
cultural festivities known as the Sinulog festival. Held every third Sunday of January, it
celebrates the festival of the Santo Niño, who was formerly considered to be the patron saint of
Cebu. (This patronage was later changed to that of Our Lady of Guadalupe after
it was realised that the St. Nino
could not be a patron saint because he was an image of the Christ and not a
saint.) The Sinulog is a dance ritual of
pre-Hispanic indigenous origin. The dancer moves two steps forward and one step
backward to the rhythmic sound of drums. This movement resembles somewhat the
current (sulog) of the river. Thus,
the Cebuanos called it Sinulog.
When the Spaniards arrived in Cebu, the Italian
chronicler, Antonio Pigafetta, sailing under convoy
with the Magellan expedition, offered a baptismal gift to Hara Amihan, wife of Rajah Humabon. She was later named
Juana, the figure of the Santo Niño. The natives also honored the Santo
Niño de Cebu in their indigenous Sinulog ritual.
The Sinulog ritual was preserved
but limited to honoring the Santo Niño. Once the Santo Niño church was built in
the 16th century, the Christian Malay people started performing the Sinulog ritual in front of
the church, the devotees offering candles and indigenous dancers shouting
"Viva Pit Señor!"
In the 1980s and 2000s, the city authorities of Cebu
added the religious feast of Santo Niño de Cebú during the Sinulog Festival to its cultural event.
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