SANTO NINO FESTIVAL AND PARADE 2006
By Jun Colmenares
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The first-ever Santo Nino Festival and Parade held in Hawaii and probably anywhere else in the world was a big success. Held last January 28, 2006, the hour-long parade snaked through the streets of Waikiki, from Fort De Russy to Kapiolani Park, and was watched by thousands of onlookers, many of them tourists, who were amazed and enthralled by the colorful costumes, the beautiful floats, the graceful dancers, the marching bands, the group-after-group of marchers, and the overall Mardi Gras-like atmosphere. The event was sponsored by the Filipino Centennial Celebration Commission and was part of the year-long centennial activities commemorating the arrival of Filipinos in Hawaii. It was produced and coordinated by the Congress of Visayan Organizations (COVO) under the chairmanship of Dr. Serafin Colmenares Jr.

The Santo Nino Festival and Parade is a combination of three Filipino festivals honoring the Santo Nino or the Holy Child that are held every January in the central Philippine region of the Visayas. The three world-renowned festivals are the Ati-Atihan Festival of Aklan, the Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo, and the Sinulog Festival of Cebu.

Ati-Atihan Festival

This festival, held every third weekend of January in the town of Kalibo, province of Aklan, on the island of Panay, is considered as the largest and the wildest among Philippine festivals. It is known as the Filipino Mardi Gras. During the last three days of this two-week-long festival, celebrants paint their faces with black soot and wear bright, outlandish costumes as they dance in revelry amid the sound of drums and shouts of “Hala bira! Puera pasma! Viva Senor Santo Nino!” (Keep going! No tiring! Hail to the Holy Child!).

The festival has historic origins. It is said that it started during the so-called Barter of Panay during the 13th century, when chiefs from the island of Borneo escaped from their tyrannical ruler and landed on the shores of Panay. They were welcomed by the local Ati chief who, in exchange for a golden headcover and necklace, allowed the foreigner to stay. As a gesture of thanks, the Bornean chiefs ordered their men to paint their bodies in black to look like the natives and to dance and celebrate the newly-formed friendship. Hence the word “Ati-Atihan” which means “to look like an Ati.” This became an annual celebration of friendship and thanksgiving. When the Spaniards came and converted the local people to Christianity, they introduced the Santo Nino as the local patron saint and instituted a feast day for the Santo Nino. To enable the Church to reach the people from the rural and upland areas (who flock to the town during the annual Ati-Atihan thanksgiving celebration), the local encomenderos decided to combine the celebration of the feast of the Santo Nino with that of the Ati-Atihan. As the years passed, the original Ati-Atihan festival was transformed into a festival in honor of the Santo Nino.

Dinagyang Festival

The Dinagyang Festival is celebrated every fourth weekend of January in the city of Iloilo on the island of Panay. An off-shoot of the Ati-Atihan, it is characterized by frenetic stomping of feet and hypnotic drumbeating, with thousands of people dressed in unique costumes dancing and chanting all day and night.

The festival had its beginnings in 1968 when Fr. Sulpicio Ebderres, OSA, brought a replica of the Santo Nino from Cebu City to the San Jose Parish Church with a delegation of Cofradia Del Santo Nino Cebu members. The image has been enshrined in the said church since then, where a novena in honor of the Santo Nino is held every Friday. The first parish feast of the Santo Nino was celebrated in 1969. The culmination of the 9-day novena was a fluvial procession. From 1969, the celebration was casually called “Iloilo Ati-Atihan” to differentiate it from the Kalibo Ati-Atihan. The name Dinagyang was coined in 1977 to name the festival. It literally means “celebration” or “merriment.”

Sinulog Festival

This festival is celebrated during the third weekend of January in the city of Cebu. It is a festival of worship, thanksgiving, and merrymaking. The Sinulog dance is based on the movement of the river current (sulog), hence the dancers move with a wave-like motion. The dance moves to the sound of the drums. Thousands of people and groups in various colorful costumes converge along the route of a grand procession and partake in the gaiety amidst a Mardi gras-like parade, immersed in wild colors and the constant beating of drums to the shouts of “Pit Senyor!” (short for “Sangpit sa Senyor!” or Pray to the Lord!).

Sinulog is a dance ritual that pre-Spanish Cebuanos performed to seek the intercession of their ancient god (bathala). When the Spaniards came in 1521, they performed the first mass baptism in Cebu and offered as a gift to the Cebuano queen an image of the Santo Nino. The Spaniards left following the death of Magellan, but returned in 1565. They attacked the village of Cebu and burned it to the ground. But in the rubble of the ruins they found the image of the Santo Nino blackened but not burned. The event was considered a miracle and upon the spot where the image was recovered the present-day Basilica of the Santo Nino was erected. The image is still there. Local worshipers started coming to see the miraculous image and perform the sinulog rhythmic movement while praying at the image’s sanctuary. Thus, the “pagan” dance ritual was transformed into a Christian dance ritual in honor of the miraculous image of the Santo Nino. In 1980, a praise and dance group was organized and performed the sinulog dance around the basilica to the beat of drums. The event grew in size and numbers and, since then, the dance ritual has become the pervading theme of an annual cultural and religious celebration that has drawn millions of people from all over the world.

The Parade and Festival

The parade started at 9:00 a.m. Leading the parade was the Royal Hawaiian Band, followed by the following parade marshals: Honolulu Bishop Clarence Silva; Philippine Consul General Ariel Abadilla and Filipino Centennial Celebration Commission Chair Elias Beniga; Congressman and Mrs. Ed Case; Senate President Robert Bunda, Representatives Kymberly Pine and Jun Abinsay, and Honolulu Councilman Nestor Garcia; and Representatives Michael Magaoay and Lynn Finnegan. There were three floats in the parade. The first float depicted the “Barter of Panay,” and was followed by the Ati-Atihan dancers and marching groups. The second float showed the first mass baptism in the Philippines and Magellan giving an image of the Santo Nino to the Cebuano queen as a baptismal gift. This float was followed by the Dinagyang dancers and marchers. The third float depicted a relief map of Cebu island, with a live Santo Nino (9-year old Aldrin Villahermosa II) and behind him a replica of the Magellan kiosk which houses the original cross of Magellan encased in hardwood. This float was followed by several groups of Sinulog dancers and marchers. Forming the rear of the parade was the U.S. Marine Corp Pacific Band.

The parade ended at 10:30 a.m. at the Kapiolani Park where the Nightshade Band was already providing entertainment to a big crowd at the bandstand. Mass, celebrated by Fr. Joe Grimaldi, Vicar General of the Diocese of Honolulu with the assistance of about ten other Filipino Catholic priests, started at 11:00 a.m. and finished at 12:00 noon. Almost a thousand attended the mass. Lunch followed, and there were long lines of people at the various food booths which served a mix of Filipino, Chinese, Korean and other local food. From 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., there were dance performances by the Ati-Atihan dancers led by the Aklan Cultural Society of Hawaii, the Dinagyang dancers led by the Waipahu High School Soccer Team, and the Sinulog dancers led by the Tribu sa Sugbu, Pundok sa Kapiolani. This was followed by a full-contact exhibition by the Bandalan Doce Pares Martial Arts Association showcasing the Filipino martial arts of eskrima, kali and arnis. Entertainment followed from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., featuring the Royal Hawaiian Band, the NIX Performing Arts Center dancers, the Philippine Cultural Group of Hawaii folk dancers, Merlinda Garma, AGAPELLA, and Fani & Marie. Mary Rivera and Rosemarie Mendoza were the emcees.

The parade and festival was made possible through the hard work of several organizations and volunteers. The Ati-Atihan group was coordinated by the Aklan Cultural Society of Hawaii, with the participation of students from McKinley High School, Waipahu High School, and Punahou School, as well as members of the Filipino American League of Architects and Enginners. The Dinagyang group was coordinated by the Kahirup Ilonggo of Hawaii, with assistance from the Waipahu High School Soccer Team, students of the Philippine Studies program at UH-Leeward Community College, students from UH Timpuyog Organization, members of the St. Jude Youth Choir, delegates from the recently concluded International Nursing Conference sponsored by the Philippine Nurses Association of America, members of the Filipino Certified Nursing Assistants Association, the Hawaii Game Breeders Association, and the BIBAK Association of Hawaii. The Sinulog group was coordinated by the Balaan Catalina Society, with the participation of the Tribu Sa Sugbo Pundok sa Kapiolani, the Cebuano Association of Hawaii, the Cebu Dance Society, the Cebu-Hawaii Friendship Society, Santo Nino Group of Honolulu, Dabawenyos of Hawaii, Mindanaoans of Hawaii, Santo Nino Club of Maui, the United Visayan Community of Hawaii, the Filipino Social Workers Association, the Oahu Council of Filipino Catholic Clubs, the Filipino Catholic Club of Waianae, the Bandalan Doce Pares Martial Arts Association, the World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation, the Tobosa School of Eskrima, Kali and Arnis, and the Hawaii Filipino Martial Arts School of Eskrima, Kali and Arnis. Funding for the event was provided by the Filipino Centennial Celebration Commission and its sponsors.

The success of the event has already elicited inquiries about it becoming an annual festival. This will all depend on the availability of sponsors.