‘Peaceful’ Hubo caps off Fiesta Señor

CEBU, Philippines — The Fiesta Señor celebration formally concluded yesterday with the traditional “hubo” ritual, the undressing of the century-old Santo Niño image.

“Hubo” (undress) is a ritual performed every Friday after the Fiesta Señor where the vestments of the image of the Holy Child are being replaced.

Following the removal of the old vestments, the image is bathed in scented water and the new vestments worn.

It is the only time of the year where the original image is shown to the public as most of the time it is kept and well-guarded in a glass case and the ones shown publicly are its closest replicas.

The annual changing of the vestments is done immediately after the reading of the Gospel and the homily.

1.2T Devotees

At least 1,200 devotees flocked to the Pilgrim Center to witness the annual ritual.

The culmination was “peaceful” based on the security assessment of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).

Wilbert Parilla, CCPO deputy director for operations, said the crowd was manageable compared to the first three days of the nine-day Novena Mass.

“Our cops detailed at Santo Niño did not encounter any problems. The number of churchgoers contributed to the smooth and peaceful situation,” he said.

Deployment

Moreover, CCPO has terminated the security deployment in basilica following the culmination of the Fiesta Señor.

Parilla said the 130 deployed cops were sent back to their respective units and some will be deployed in barangay control points, which were recently reactivated, around the city.

“They will be assigned in areas with high cases of COVID-19 to help enforce the health protocols,” he said.

As part of CCPO’s efforts to help lessen the cases in the city, he said the police force will conduct anew a massive information campaign to reeducate the public on the importance of complying/observing the minimum health standard protocols, such as the wearing of face mask and face shield and the social distancing. — KQD (FREEMAN)