HISTORY OF SINULOG Interview transcript with Tonette Panares – historian and museum curator, Cebu, Philippines on the history of Sinulog .
Magellan arrived in 1521 in Cebu and baptised Humamay and Humabon and named Humamay Queen Juana and Humabon was named King Carlos. Magellan presented the Santo Nino on their baptism. The Cebuanos no longer prayed to the Anitos or Gods but were baptised as Christians.
The first Sinulog dance started in the altar of Queen Juana. She was praying because there was sickness all over the land. One man lying sick on the floor rose up and started dancing one step forward and two steps backward. When Queen Juana saw the man dancing she asked her men who that man was and was told his name was Nuog. And that was the first sinulog dance , a prayer dance to the Santo Nino at the altar of Queen Juana and later it became a tradition since 1521 up to the recent years, people from Visayas and Mindanao celebrate as well as around the world come and participate . Queen Juana dances in the centre one step forward and two steps backward following the current or “sug”. The depiction of the first mass can be found in the historical painting of Manuel Panares (Cebu Artist). The sinulog festival in Cebu started in 1980 under the mayorship of Dr. Solon.
What is the relationship between the Dinagyang and Ati Atihan festivals in the Visayas?
There is a relationship but the Sinulog is the mother of all festivals in celebration of the Santo Nino. The other festivals have their own historical timeline. The Sinulog is authentically, historically valid in the manner that Humabon, Queen Juana, Magellan and Enrique de Mallaca , Magellan’s enterpreter who brought Magellan from Portugal and Spain to Cebu is a historical event and that is the reason why the reverence and the significant celebration is very very important to each and every Filipino not only a Cebuano but it happened that Cebu is the centre because the Philippines was discovered in Cebu and King Phillip II ordered Miguel Lopez de Legaspi to make a trip in 1565 back to Cebu and formally named the islands “The Philippines” after King Phillip II so for each Filipino the history and the celebration of the Sinulog festival is the most historical, religious, spiritual event and they believe in the miracles of the Santo Nino because the first miracle happened in the altar of Queen Juana.
So what is your message to Gold Coast Filipinos?
As one of who is a curator and a historian who started an exhibition of the paintings of the Santo Nino at the Ayala Centre in Cebu during the festival of the Sinulog, I commend all of you in the Gold Coast if you celebrate the festival as a tradition because you are touching base not only with the spirituality of the Filipino but you are touching base and sharing with other nationalities in the world the significance of our history and our identity as a people. Congratulations to your organisation of the Sinulog 2014. It can be the most significant celebration that you will be having emphasising the festival that is a celebration of life and the blessings of the Santo Nino in relation to the miracles and remember it was King Phillip II who came back to Cebu with Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and called the festival “Kaplag” (the finding of the Santo Nino) because the Santo Nino after Queen Juana 50 years before was lost and found in a chest by a soldier of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi -his name is Juan Camus. These are the two time frames significant in the Sinulog.
Tonette Panares, Historian and Museum curator, Cebu, Philippines
You can view Tonette Panares’ website and exhibition of paintings by Cebu Artist, Manuel Panares including the Santo Nino series at www.panarescollections.weebly.com
Magellan arrived in 1521 in Cebu and baptised Humamay and Humabon and named Humamay Queen Juana and Humabon was named King Carlos. Magellan presented the Santo Nino on their baptism. The Cebuanos no longer prayed to the Anitos or Gods but were baptised as Christians.
The first Sinulog dance started in the altar of Queen Juana. She was praying because there was sickness all over the land. One man lying sick on the floor rose up and started dancing one step forward and two steps backward. When Queen Juana saw the man dancing she asked her men who that man was and was told his name was Nuog. And that was the first sinulog dance , a prayer dance to the Santo Nino at the altar of Queen Juana and later it became a tradition since 1521 up to the recent years, people from Visayas and Mindanao celebrate as well as around the world come and participate . Queen Juana dances in the centre one step forward and two steps backward following the current or “sug”. The depiction of the first mass can be found in the historical painting of Manuel Panares (Cebu Artist). The sinulog festival in Cebu started in 1980 under the mayorship of Dr. Solon.
What is the relationship between the Dinagyang and Ati Atihan festivals in the Visayas?
There is a relationship but the Sinulog is the mother of all festivals in celebration of the Santo Nino. The other festivals have their own historical timeline. The Sinulog is authentically, historically valid in the manner that Humabon, Queen Juana, Magellan and Enrique de Mallaca , Magellan’s enterpreter who brought Magellan from Portugal and Spain to Cebu is a historical event and that is the reason why the reverence and the significant celebration is very very important to each and every Filipino not only a Cebuano but it happened that Cebu is the centre because the Philippines was discovered in Cebu and King Phillip II ordered Miguel Lopez de Legaspi to make a trip in 1565 back to Cebu and formally named the islands “The Philippines” after King Phillip II so for each Filipino the history and the celebration of the Sinulog festival is the most historical, religious, spiritual event and they believe in the miracles of the Santo Nino because the first miracle happened in the altar of Queen Juana.
So what is your message to Gold Coast Filipinos?
As one of who is a curator and a historian who started an exhibition of the paintings of the Santo Nino at the Ayala Centre in Cebu during the festival of the Sinulog, I commend all of you in the Gold Coast if you celebrate the festival as a tradition because you are touching base not only with the spirituality of the Filipino but you are touching base and sharing with other nationalities in the world the significance of our history and our identity as a people. Congratulations to your organisation of the Sinulog 2014. It can be the most significant celebration that you will be having emphasising the festival that is a celebration of life and the blessings of the Santo Nino in relation to the miracles and remember it was King Phillip II who came back to Cebu with Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and called the festival “Kaplag” (the finding of the Santo Nino) because the Santo Nino after Queen Juana 50 years before was lost and found in a chest by a soldier of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi -his name is Juan Camus. These are the two time frames significant in the Sinulog.
Tonette Panares, Historian and Museum curator, Cebu, Philippines
You can view Tonette Panares’ website and exhibition of paintings by Cebu Artist, Manuel Panares including the Santo Nino series at www.panarescollections.weebly.com