Vibrant celebration of devotion, faith and culture
By Wendy Shaw
Nine days of novenas culminated in a colourful and moving Sinulog Festive Mass in the Mersey-Leven Parish.
Sinulog, or the Feast of Santo Niño (Infant Jesus), is a Filipino tradition increasingly celebrated around the world.
Mersey Leven was one of a number of parishes, including Burnie-Wynyard and Bridgewater-Brighton, to mark the feast.
The novenas were at Our lady of Lourdes Church at Devonport and Sacred Heart Church at Ulverstone in January in the lead-up to Sinulog 2025 at Ulverstone on 19 January.
The Mass included songs, dance and a procession, with people travelling from across the North and North West Coast to attend.
Sinulog organiser Meriam Murray, of Ulverstone, said it was a beautiful and faith-filled event with many parishioners in national costume.
“The event is important because it reminds us of the start of Catholicism in the Philippines,” Meriam said.
“History tells us that when Spanish explorers arrived in the Philippines in 1521, a statue of the child Jesus was given to the queen of an indigenous tribe, Hara Humamay, as a gift and from there on, people were converted and baptised.
“So we consider that the start of Catholicism in the Philippines.”
Sinulog has been marked in Mersey Leven since 2004, Meriam explained.
“We are very grateful for the parishioners who are open to how we showcase our tradition and religiosity and they welcome it and support us in our event,” she said.
“We are also very grateful for support from our Parish Priest, Fr Sunil De Silva, from day one. It was really very successful.”
Meriam said it was important for the younger generation to get involved in the event that attracts an estimated five million people to Cebu City in the Philippines on the third Sunday of January each year.
“It is a very popular and big event in the Philippines, and even a tourist attraction. We are just doing it on a small scale here, but it is important in a spiritual sense, and for the Filipino community to come together.
“It is our chance as a community to showcase our tradition, our culture, our religiosity. We are open with our faith.”
Meriam explained that the singing and dancing reflected the playful, joyful nature of childhood.
“The Infant Jesus is a child, so this is a joyful celebration, like the nature of a child,” she said. “It is happy.”
Fr Sunil De Silva said the Sinulog Festival was “a vibrant celebration of the Philippines’ rich Catholic heritage, and religious devotion and faith in Santo Niño, or Infant Jesus”.
“From the colourful and well-made costumes of the dancers, to the beautiful dances and music … the Sinulog Festival never ceases to amaze [with] its rich spirituality,” he said.
Meanwhile Fr Jessie Banez said Sinulog, which was important from both a religious and cultural perspective, was celebrated for the first time in the Burnie-Wynyard Parish.
“It’s a good thing – it brings people together – so it’s community-building and people come from near and far to celebrate their faith and their culture,” he said.
Pope Francis described it as a ‘special joy’ to celebrate Santo Niño Sunday during his apostolic journey to the Philippines in January 2015.
According to the Holy See Press Office, the Holy Father told the faithful in Manila at the time: “The image of the Holy Child Jesus accompanied the spread of the Gospel in this country from the beginning. Dressed in the robes of a king, crowned and holding the sceptre, the globe and the cross, He continues to remind us of the link between God’s Kingdom and the mystery of spiritual childhood…
“The Santo Niño continues to proclaim to us that the light of God’s grace has shone upon a world dwelling in darkness. It brings the Good News … [and] reminds us of our call to spread the reign of Christ throughout the world.”