It has been 6 years since I last attended a Sinulog mass.
That was way back 2011, the year I started working as a nurse. Much was different then, the set up was different, the crowd seemed more, but most significantly, today, I come alone. I use to go with friends or colleagues but having been away for a long time, it is a struggle to organize a meeting, much more a visit to one of Cebu’s most important and heavily crowded events. Plus the fact that it was 4:00 am.
There is a strategic reason to why I decided to attend the church that early. Little did I know that thousands of Cebuanos and pilgrims all over the country have decided to visit the same time as I. With little explanation, the plan backfired.
So as I made my way to the thicket of human bodies, and stalls, and vehicles, my aim was simple, when you see that little sign called Entrance just go for it, relentlessly. I was in competition with others who were as eager and as determined as I. I can do this I said. I have been through something worse like the 2012 Diamond Jubilee in London or the Thanksgiving Day parade in New York. So I got this.
I find myself outside, sandwiched between a nagging housewife and someone who appears to be the-not-so-lucky husband. I was caught in between. This is not how I imagined my morning would be.
But suddenly the song played: 🎼🎵🎶 Batobalani sa gugma, sa daang tawo palangga..Kanamo maluoy ka unta, nga kanimo nangilaba🎵🎶
There is a magic to this song. As a catalyst of wonderful memories of College, of Friends, of Mama, of Home. The lyrics are heartwarming and soothing, something that most Cebuano Catholic Christians are all too familiar. Towards the end of the song, people released balloons colored yellow and red- the colors of Sto. Niño. Some bear letters of petitions and thank yous. I found myself staring into the dark skies of Cebu now filled with yellow and red. It was almost trance-like.
As I was staring into that dark abyss, I couldn’t help but wonder- the balloons, the whales..oh no.
I haven’t been for 6 years and although much has changed, my belief and faith for the Sto. Niño remain unchanged.
And although I wouldn’t know when the next visit will be, I rest assured.
The Sto. Niño will remain where it should always be. Right here ❤️.
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