On my return visit to Cebu, me and my friends went back to Basilica del Santo Niño to light a candle at the church. Candle-lighing at the church is part of the tradition in the city, reflecting the religious past of the people of Cebu.
Outside Santo Niño Basilica were women offering candles for sale. Upon lighting a candle we bought from one of the women, we brought it back to her. She then offered a prayer for us. The prayer was done in a dance, the Sinulog dance that Cebuanos perform during Sinulog Festival, Cebu’s biggest annual festival dedicated to the Santo Niño. Sinulog dance symbolizes a fusion of Cebuanos’ pagan roots and their acceptance of the Roman Catholic faith. Sinulog came from the word “sulog,” which literally means “movement of the water,” thus the Sinulog dance performed by the women at the Santo Niño Basilica is like the motion of water, two steps forward and one step back, as they wave the candle in a prayerful song.
Facing the church, the woman offered prayers while doing the Sinulog dance.
The woman’s prayers were in Cebuano dialect, and although I did not understand a word said, it was good to experience this cultural tradition. Around the church, people were fervently offering prayers and lighting candles as well.
Inside Santo Niño Basilica, a mass was being held. At the left side of the church, a long line of people waited for their turn to see the Santo Niño image up close and to offer thanks and prayers to the Santo Niño.
It was said that Santo Niño Basilica was built on the very spot where Spanish explorers found a Santo Niño sculpture left behind from Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition.
The Santo Niño image was said to have been given by Magellan Rajah Humabon and his wife after they converted to Christianity. The Santo Niño image was left intact inside a burned wooden box. The Santo Niño image is considered as the oldest religious relic in the Philippines
The Basilica del Santo Niño also houses a small museum that carries paintings and memorabilia depicting the historical past of Cebu.
The Magellan’s Cross is confined in an octagonal small chapel fronting one of the entry points of the ever famous Basilica del Santo Niño church. The small chapel is covered with red tegula roof tiles and its walls were built with similar stones used in the Basilica. And, the ceiling was beautifully painted with murals depicting Cebu’s conversion to Christianity. What amaze tourists aside from the rich historical value of Magellan’s Cross are the testimonies of devotees of the miracles brought by their regular visit to the cross.
You’ll find candles stacked just beside the base of Magellan’s cross. Those are the prayers offered by devotees and visitors that passed by the small chapel. One candlestick is only about PhP 10 and the candle vendor themselves will lead the prayer ritual.
Interestingly, the candles are deliberately sold in colors for they have their corresponding meaning:
- Red – Love of Santo Niño
- Blue – Devotion to Mama Mary
- Yellow – Health and Peace
- Pink – Happiness
- Green – Success in studies, work and finances
The candles are then offered to Santo Niño and placed at the foot of the cross. This has not only become a tradition but also initiated a livelihood opportunity of the members of the Plaza Sugbo Candle Vendor Association (PSCVA).
This tradition is known for Cebuanos as “Sinug”. Literally, it means ‘a flow of water’ but it can also connote a dance step usually executed during Cebu’s Sinulog Festival. But the vendors do not wait for the festival as they perform the famous step simultaneously during the prayer.
Anvimexy♥ 