The Vibrance of Sinulog Costumes
As I craned my neck to see the dancers, few of them danced by the bleachers where my family and I were seated. I was so amazed by how well they danced that I didn’t notice that my feet was tapping to the beat of their music. As I looked on, I was captivated by how intricate the design of their costume was.
The clothes looked like an explosion of colors. Even if the fabrics used were made of primary and secondary colors, they were so bright and vivid which gave off the festive and celebratory atmosphere of the event.
“Shane, why are you squinting like that? Are you having a difficult time seeing that dancer? She is just very near us.” My brother Scott teased.
“No, I’m actually looking at her dress. Look at all those tiny round things, I think those are beads. There must be thousands of them on one arm alone. How much more for the whole body?” My jaw dropped dramatically as I tried to imagine the hard work behind each costume.
When the dancer’s hand movements got so near my face, I could see that the elaborate beadwork formed different patterns and symbols. They had been meticulously added to the art of what they were all wearing.
“The person who designed their dresses have a very good attention to detail.” I heard my mother say. She must have read my mind because that’s what I wanted to say.
The next few groups of dancers went by in a blur. I was lost in thought. I was brought back to the present when a performer’s headdress hit my face.
“Are you okay? Move a little to your left.” Papa pushed me a little towards my mother.
“Woah! That is enormous!” Scott let out a giggle when I blurted out.
“Shane, she has been waving that on your face for a few minutes and you just noticed now?” Scott teased me again.
I could see there were so many feathers in it along with different colored beads and sequins which made it more visually striking.
The next group that performed had the most elaborate headdresses. They were in variety of colors and the feathers they used were very long. Even if it made me think that they were not real, the way the vibrant fabric flowers and beads were incorporated convinced me that they had the most majestic head wear.
Because I was waving my arms in the air to cheer for them, I dropped my handkerchief. When I got down to pick it up, I noticed the dancers’ footwear. What I thought were Egyptian sandals were actually just the common white rubber sandals secured with a ribbon crisscrossed over their legs up to below their knees.
There were no dancers with mediocre costumes. Time and effort were evident in each piece. I asked my mother about this.
“Aside from being a religious devotion, Sinulog reflects the rich cultural heritage of our country. That’s why the participants were wearing different clothing, depending on where they came from. They wanted to show the diversity of the different regions.” Mama explained with pride in her voice.