Government Gardens Rotorua - 10 am - 4 pm
Collaborating with Paraluman Heritage, Artesano Candle Co will be in one of the booths set up in Government Gardens Rotorua come 21 January 2023 for the Sinulog sa Rotorua celebrations.
The Sinulog-Santo Niño Festival is an annual cultural and religious festival held on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City and is the centre of the Santo Niño Catholic celebrations in the Philippines.
A little history here: On March 16, 1521, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived and planted the cross on the shores of Cebu, claiming the territory for Spain. He presented the image of the Child Jesus to the Rajah Humabon, Queen Juana, as well as to the other rulers of the island and some 800 natives who were also converted to the Roman Catholic faith.
Dramatizing the coming of the Spaniards and the presentation of the Santo Niño to the Queen – is the event that is frequently depicted and used as basis for most Sinulog dances. A popular theme among Sinulog dances is Queen Juana holding the Santo Niño in her arms and using it to bless her people who were afflicted with sickness believed to be caused by demons and other evil spirits.
The Sinulog dance steps are believed to originate from Rajah Humabon's adviser, Baladhay. Legend says that once, Baladhay fell gravely ill. Humabon ordered his native tribe to bring Baladhay into a room where the Santo Niño was enthroned, along with the other pagan gods of the native Cebuanos. After a few days, Baladhay was heard shouting and dancing with utmost vigour. When asked how he was so, Baladhay pointed to the image of the Santo Niño, explaining that he had found the child on top of him trying to wake him up and tickling him with the midrib of the coconut leaf. Surprised, he scared the child away by shouting. The little child got up and started making fun of Baladhay. In turn, Baladhay danced with the little child and explained that he was dancing the movements of the river. To this day, the two-steps forward, one-step backward movement is still used by Santo Niño devotees who believe that it was the Santo Niño's choice to have Baladhay dance.
Checkout our Sinulog Beeswax Candle.