Sinulog Festival 2012

Sinulog Festival 2012 highlights the 30th Celebration of Araw ng Southwestern Poblacion, Calamba, Misamis Occidental

Pit Senior! Pet Senior! Pet Senior! People shouted during the Sinulog Festival held last January 15, 2012. There are two sets of Sinulog, the first one is in the morning after the second mass sponsored by the San Isidro Parish Church and the second one is in the afternoon sponsored by Barangay Southwestern Poblacion and part of the 30th celebration of Araw ng Southwestern Poblacion, Calamba, Misamis Occidental.

The first festival presentation was held after the second mass wherein the devotees were so excited waiting for the ritual presentations. After the procession, the devotees were dancing in front of the image of Senior Santo Niño. The participants were students from the Sacred Heart College-High School and College Departments, constituents from Don Bernardo A. Neri, constituents from Sulipat, San Isidro Parish Organizations and more others.
The afternoon festival was sponsored by the Council of Southwestern Poblacion headed by SWP Barangay Captain/ABC President Hon. Ezel T. Villanueva and part of their 30th Araw ng Southwestern Poblacion. The Sinulog Festival is one of the grandest celebrations in the Municipality. And also one of the smaller versions of the Sinulog held in Cebu City. The busy streets in the Poblacion areas lined with people from all walks of life waiting for the street dancing. The event is also a local tourist attraction wherein constituents from the neighboring municipalities observed the yearly festival.

The first part of the festivity is a street dancing. The street dancing is a long procession with people holding an image of Senior Santo Niño then following with them were groups of dancers dressed in a dark and colored- costumes and danced to the rhythm of drums, trumpets, native gongs and other musical instruments. Sinulog” is mainly a graceful dance that showed the religious history of the Filipinos and it portrait the beliefs of Filipinos and how they eventually adopt Christianity.

After the street dancing the viewers proceed and flocked to Southwestern Poblacion Barangay Hall Quadrangle for the ritual presentations. Most of the dance showed how the Catholic Faith started and how the Filipinos before was baptized and accepted Christianity, the dance was to honor Senior Santo Niño. While dancing, some people are shouting Pit Senior! Pit Senior! Pit Senior!.

During the ritual presentations, some people were quietly praying at the Chapel near the Barangay Hall asking for blessings, praying for petitions to the patron and giving thanks for the favor granted.

Despite of the hot weather but the festivity undeniably a successful one.

Sinulog - Morning Sponsored by San Isidro Parish Church