EDITORIAL - Pit Senyor!

Today is the Big Day for the Santo Niño devotees in Cebu City. For the whole day, the faithful from all walks of life will have a great time paying tribute to the Holy Child, a thing that has become an annual spectacle ever since Cebuanos started to embrace the Catholic faith.

What makes the Fiesta Señor celebration a magnet for the thousands of devotees and tourists is the Sinulog Festival. It’s undeniable that Sinulog, a ritual involving street dancing that started in the early 1980s, has boosted the Fiesta Señor patronage the past decades.

As it mutated into a leading religious event in the city, Sinulog has also become a monster cultural activity. In fact, the Department of Tourism has branded it as the "mother of all festivals in the country," promoting it as a premier tourist attraction.

We have to admit that not all of those who are witnessing the Sinulog today are Santo Niño devotees. A huge part of them – local and foreign tourists – are here to feel the excitement and enjoy the sights of a unique display of religious and cultural rituals.

While security threats and weather concerns have become the main issues that have alarmed the authorities, it is expected that a sea of humanity will flood the streets in today’s Fiesta Señor. Major churches will be filled to the rafters with devotees while the parade routes will be occupied with spectators excited to witness the Sinulog contingents display their wares.

Cebuanos are proven to be a tough and resilient people. They have been known to always rise from the different misfortunes besetting them in the past, a characteristic that made Cebu what it is today: the center of economic growth in the south. 

We do hope for a successful Fiesta Señor today. And like in the previous celebrations, such success would come as a result of everyone’s cooperation. Whatever the threat, Cebuanos are always known to rise to the occasion for the fiesta’s success.

Pit Senyor!