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Sinulog 2018 at Rizal Community Center and Reflection on Community

Celebrating Community! Community members gathered to celebrate Sinulog 2018 at Rizal Community Center this past Sunday, January 21, 2018. The event was marked with reflection on community and the need for dialogue and cohesiveness. It was also marked with song, dance, and delicious Filipino dishes.

It was also bittersweet, as we remembered those lost and injured in the tragic accident in Cebu on Saturday, which has left our community in shock and bereaved. The Filipino American Council of Greater Chicago extends our deepest condolences to the families and all those affected by this devastating incident.

At yesterday’s Sinulog event, participants shared their grief upon hearing that members of the Philippine Medical Association of Chicago were in the accident. Members of the PASAC (Philippine American Seniors Association of Chicago) expressed gratitude about the PMAC and their services to our Filipino and Filipino-American communities, as well as our broader community. They reflected on the kind leadership of Dr. Nunilo Rubio, former president of the PMAC, and for their programs dedicated to senior care and events in honor of our community’s seniors and veterans.

Our gratitude to Helen Tubog for leading the reflection and sharing with the participants the significance of the Sinulog to our Philippine culture.

Celebrated each January, Sinulog is one of the most popular and colorful festivals in Cebu City, Philippines. A 500 year-old tradition, it is an annual cultural and religious dance, that aims to connect the country’s rich pagan history with its Christian traditions.

The Sinulog dance is said to originate from the adviser of Rajah Humabon, King of Cebu. The province was founded by his grandfather Sri Lumay, prince of the Chola dynasty who invaded Sumatra in Indonesia. Sri Lumay was sent by the Maharajah to establish a base for expeditionary forces to subdue the local kingdoms, but he rebelled and established his own independent Rajahnate instead in the Central Visayas.

The word “Sinulog” was derived from the Cebuano adverb “sulog” which roughly translates to “like water current movement.”

The dance steps used in the ritual are believed to be from Rajah Humabon’s adviser, Baladhay, who was allegedly cured from sickness by Santo Niño.

According to historical accounts, Baladhay, then ill, was found to be shouting and dancing shortly after he was placed in an area where the Santo Niño and other pagan gods were displayed. He said the image of the Santo Niño was trying to awaken him.

Baladhay’s dance movements resembled the back-and-forth movement of the water current.

Devotees still use the two-steps forward, one-step backward movement in the belief that it is upon the Santo Niño’s instructions.

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