This year's fiesta

JANUARY 1 this year was a Sunday, which means that the Sto. Niño feast is celebrated on the earliest third Sunday of January, which is on the 15th. That would be next Sunday already, or only two weeks after the New Year celebration. In fact, the novena masses at the Basilica del Sto. Niño have started after last Thursday's Walk for Jesus. The fiesta atmosphere has blanketed Cebu City.

I do not mean that only in figurative sense. A couple of days ago, workers set up buntings on a portion of P. del Rosario St. fronting the Sun.Star Cebu office. These are hung on wires tied close to each other forming a roof-like cover from one side of the street to the other side. Or one can just walk the stretch of Osmeña Blvd. from the Capitol to Colon St. to feel the fiesta spirit.

Traffic has also become problematic on the roads surrounding the Basilica especially the portion of Osmeña Blvd. that is off limits to vehicles during the novena masses. The vacant lots near the old Compania Maritima structure and areas near the Basilia are also bursting with parked vehicles during the day because of the number of people attending the hourly novena masses.

I haven't been to any of the novena masses so far but when we attended a Sunday mass there last week, I noticed the giant monitors set up in strategic areas of the church, which means that the Augustinian fathers have finally em- braced modern technology. Now churchgoers can better participate in and appreciate the ritual with a better view of the goings-on at the altar of the Pilgrim's Center. My wife said that when she attended a novena mass recently, she stood with the other devotees on the road outside where the TV monitor was visible.

(Which brings me to the observation I made long ago. Because of the increasing use of the Pilgrim's Center, the use of the Basilica has also been increasingly reduced. During the Sunday mass, we went inside the old structure. There were people inside but they were in an awkward position. The benches there were arranged facing the Basilica's altar, meaning that the people's backs were to the Pilgrim's Center where the priest officiating the mass was. I think the Augustinian priests need to correct this setup that has marginalized the Basilica and the old church altar.)

The activities at the Basilica and the Pilgrim's center is a reminder that the devotion to the Child Jesus is the engine that has made this celebration move forward. That's why I always remind people to call this event the “fiesta señor” and not the Sinulog. The word “sinulog” refers to both the dance in veneration of the Sto. Niño and the cultural festivity launched during the fiesta by the Sinulog Foundation Inc. and the Cebu City Government.

By the way, this would be the first Sinulog Grand Parade under the administration of the returning mayor Tomas Osmeña. And you know Osmeña. So this year's grand parade would end by around 4 p.m., the route would be shorter and fewer contingents from outside of Cebu would be participating. Security is strict and warnings have been issued against drunkenness and hooliganism. This means that the fireworks display ending the grand parade would no longer be seen.

I think it is good to end the grand parade before darkness sets in. That means that order would return to the streets in the evening. Crowds are better controlled during the day than at night.