Neither the rain nor the nippy draft of Saturday morning deterred the thousands of tourists, balikbayans and Cebuanos who flocked the piers of the city to witness the miraculous image of the Child Jesus as he visits his mother, the Virgin of the Rule in Lapu-lapu City, and returns to the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño in Cebu City.
Despite the uncooperative weather that drenched multitudes of devotees, the Solemn Procession that took place last Saturday, January 16, 2010, was admirable. The organizers estimated the participants to be a noteworthy 1.2 million, at the very least.
An impressive mañanita mass started the festivities on January 17, Sunday. The weather remained difficult that day and yet a remarkable 6 million to 8 million people went out of their warm, comfortable beds to join the Sinulog grand parade, which covered all routes leading to the Cebu City Sports Center. A total of 133 contingents, counting in floats and higantes, participated in the celebration of the Sinulog’s 30th anniversary.
This year’s Sinulog celebration is far from over, with upcoming events such as the “Hubo” Mass on January 22, and the upcoming photo exhibit. And yet, we cannot help but already anticipate what Sinulog 2011 would be.
We are all winners, or so we’d like to believe. Still, there are those who wowed the judges more than any other contender and garnered the highest scores. Here’s a quick rundown of the participants of the different Sinulog 2010 events who brought home the bacon.
image source: fluvial
image source: solemn procession
image source: sinulog 2010
