The importance of the Santo Niño de Cebu  

In the hustle and bustle of today's merriment, and amidst the colors and the noise of the street dancing and singing today, there is a real danger that people may forget the solemnity of the fiesta in honor of the Holy Child. There is a strong possibility that many people may forget the true reason for this celebration. Thus a gentle unsolicited reminder may prove useful.

Unknown to many, the iconic image of the Santo Niño, which was brought by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 and given as a peace offering to Hara Amihan, or Hara Humamay, later christened Queen Juana, wife of Rajah Humabon, is the oldest Christian artifact in the whole country. It is older than the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, older than the image of the Lady of Penafrancia in Naga, Camarines Sur. It is older than the image of the Virgen de Manaoag in Pangasinan, and of course, older than the Virgen sa Regla in Lapu-Lapu City.

Since the first Catholic baptism in the whole of Asia was done in the Philippines, and that image was given after the baptism, it therefore constitutes as the best evidence of Cebu's primacy in terms of chronology in becoming part of the then largely European Christian world.

In other words, Cebu became part of Christianity while Manila was only Christianized in 1565 upon the arrival of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi. Cebu was ahead by 44 years. And the oldest street in the Philippines is Cebu's main thoroughfare, Colon Street, circa 1521, in honor of Christopher Columbus.

The dark wooden statue of the Santo Niño, about 12 inches tall, was produced by Flemish artisans, based on the historical account of St. Teresa of Avila, Spain. When Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan failed to get the support of his own king, he went to the king of Spain and presented his planned expedition to search for spices in the Far East. He was given five ships and 460 men by King Charles V.

Magellan brought along that image. He travelled westward across the Atlantic and later the vast uncharted Pacific Ocean. Landing in Limasawa Island off the southern part of Leyte, where the first Mass was celebrated, Magellan and his fleet proceeded further west until they landed in Cebu and were met by Rajah Humabon.

On April 14, 1521, 800 Cebuanos were baptized including Rajah Humabon who took the Christian name Carlos in honor of King Charles V and Hara Humamay christened Queen Juana in honor of Charles' mother, Queen Joanna of Castille. They were given three gifts by Magellan; a bust of Christ, an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and a statue of the Holy Child, now called the Santo Niño. Only the Santo Niño survived the many disasters, calamities, and wars across five centuries.

When Magellan was killed in Mactan, the expedition was continued by Sebastian del Cano who returned to Spain. The next expedition was under Miguel Lopez de Legazpi who ordered the attack against Cebu. Whole settlements were devastated by the onslaught of the superior firearms of the invaders. Among the ruins, a Spanish mariner found the image of Santo Niño, and that is the same image now enshrined at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño. The finding of the icon which was not destroyed despite the devastation and ruin was seen as a miracle. The location of today's Basilica was the exact spot where the image was found. It is a walking distance away from the cross erected by Magellan in 1521.

This church was elevated by Pope VI as a minor basilica in 1965 during the commemoration of the 400th year of our Christianity. I would hasten to say that it should have been 1921, not 1965. It was not Legaspi who brought Christianity in 1565. It was Magellan in 1521. The original Fiesta of the Santo Niño was April 28. Pope Innocent XIII moved it to the third Sunday of January. On April 28, 1965, Pope Paul VI issued a canonical coronation of the image. In 1981, Pope John Paul II made a papal endorsement of the image. Pope Francis also endorsed the image in his Luneta Mass on January 19, 2015.

It is therefore important for all visitors to pay homage to the Santo Niño today, and not just dance the Sinulog or celebrate this solemn occasion with merriment. Let us all go to the very reason for this celebration. Otherwise, we shall have missed the point of this all.