Bountiful Sinulog in Talomo Cemento

The extraordinary expression of faith to the infancy of Jesus Christ is reverberating every year especially during the month of January. The original Sinulog celebration in Cebu City is one of the best examples of such an awe-inspiring tradition of Catholic faith. People all the over the Philippines really took time to be in Cebu for the magnanimous celebration of praise and thanksgiving to Señor Santo Niño de Cebu.
With the personal experience of Sinulog in Cebu, which I have kept in my heart ever since, I can only say that no better faith can ever compare to kind of faith Filipinos have for Señor Santo Niño. Faithful people flock together in the Metropolitan Cathedral just immediately outside the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño to sing, dance and wave praises to the Child Jesus. Even if I wasn’t a child then, but still I can say it was definitely a certified heart-warming experience.
This year may not have been a luxurious time for me to join my Aunt Espie, Joffer and Kuya Jappy in going to Cebu to offer dance of praises to Señor Santo Niño, but God was amazingly good because He still gave me and the rest of the people who cant be in Cebu our very own Sinulog celebration in Talomo Cemento, Davao City. It was indeed a clear cut Sinulog celebration with lots of colors, dancing, and offerings of praises and thanksgiving inside the Sto. Niño Chapel. Local folks gathered oozing with enthusiasm and sincere faith to Señor Santo Niño, which a dayful of rainfall could never stop them from converging inside the humble covered court immediately outside the chapel to witness a fantastic display of extraordinary faith seen in vivid colors and well-choreographed dance steps, reinforced with resounding praise chants and songs.
The Sto. Niño Chapel GKK (Gagmayng Kristohanong Katilingban) in Talomo Cemento was established in 1956 under San Lorenzo Ruiz Parish. It has been a tradition of faith in the community to prepare abundantly for Señor Santo Niño every January. From procession, fluvial parade, and streetdancing, all these and more are evident in the Sinulog Celebration in Talomo Cemento. During this year’s joy-filled and bountiful Sinulog celebration, local folks have experienced immeasurable blessings and graces of God for them and their families. With the simple ways of life in the community, local folks have been continuously grateful to Señor Santo Niño. They have been thanking God for the continuous good weather, good health and safety of the community, which is a faithful gesture worth emulating.
So if you can hardly be in Cebu for the Sinulog next year, why not be in Talomo Cemento and witness the same expression of faith that can move mountains!
P.S. Sincere thanks to Ms. Jenelyn Cañada for the photos and facts, and Congratulations to St. Uriel Group , champion of the Sinulog streetdance competition in straight three years!

(Simultaneously Published in Mindanao Times, the number 1 daily newspaper in Davao!)