THE Sinulog Festival to many Cebuano-Chinese families is a chance for them to be one with be one with the Cebuanos despite differences in traditions and beliefs.
Joni Chan, a Cebuano-Chinese trader, said though Chinese and Filipinos differ in beliefs and traditions, one event that unites both communities is Sinulog.
He said this is one of the festivities they look forward to aside from other traditional celebrations like Christmas.
“We pay respect to the tradition because we belong to the same community,” Chan said.
“In fact, the Chinese theme that is being incorporated in this year’s celebration is a compliment on our part, as our contributions to Cebu’s culture and economic progress are being recognized, he said.
“It gives us a feeling that we are truly part of the Cebuano community,” he said.
For most Chinese families in Cebu, Sinulog is part of their lives. Many of their ancestors were here long before the first image of the Sto. Niño was first brought to these shores.
Dickson Lim, director of the Cebu Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that before the Spanish explorers discovered Cebu, Chinese merchants already settled in Cebu, trading items with the locals.
For Lim, celebrating the Sinulog festival is no different from how Filipinos celebrate it.
“The Chinese families who believe in the Christian faith have reason to celebrate the Sinulog because this is a religious festival,” he said.
But for those who aren’t Christians, Lim said they have their own way of celebrating it, just as those who aren’t Christians join in the revelry each year.
Eric Ng Mendoza, president of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Chinese families and businesses have been very supportive of the festival from the start.
He noted companies owned by Chinese families who actively participate in the street decorations and during the parade itself.
Mendoza said the Chinese families living in Cebu also promote the festival to their friends and acquaintances around the world and offer their homes to those who can no longer book hotel rooms.
Though the Sinulog is a festival held in honor of the Sto. Niño, it has become more than a religious event, as believers and non-believers alike troop to the streets to watch the grand parade held each third Sunday of January.
This year, the organizers of the parade have decided to honor the contributions of the Chinese community to Cebuano culture by introducing a Chinese theme.
The Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI) and the Cebu City Government have chosen the Chinese motif as their way of paying tribute to the Chinese community. SFI said the event will showcase the influence the Chinese culture has on Cebu.
More than the Sinulog generating revenues, the celebration is a chance for them to blend with the Filipino community.
Chan said Chinese-Catholics observe the usual traditions like hearing mass and attending novena processions. Chinese families of other religions pay respect to the celebration by joining other events like the street parade.
“The way Chinese families celebrate Sinulog depends on their beliefs. Others really prepare food in their houses while others go out and join the city celebrations,” he said.
But Chan said one significant contribution they bring to Cebu during the celebration are their guests.
“We invite friends from other places and countries to come and experience Cebu. The traders even invite their business partners to promote business here,” Chan said.
“Sinulog is not just an event but also an opportunity where Cebu can showcase its people, products and places. This is a one great festival where we can promote Cebu as a business and vacation destination, a goal where both the Chinese and Cebuano communities should really work hard on,” he said.
