Hello, my dearest Hivers! Have you been finding everything all right throughout this weekend? I hope every one of you is doing well wherever you are. Now, let me just start by saying, when studying at college and now working in Cebu, I still have not attended a single Sinulog Festival event because it is impossible for me to handle big crowds. Why? Because I'm one of those people who easily pass out in large crowds. I fall unconscious anytime the crowds press against me, and when there’s not enough space or air, I instantly pass out. This is the main reason why I never attended the Sinulog Festival even once. The second reason is that it’s quite difficult when it comes to transportation matters.
This year, I made an exception. Despite being a person who feels phobic around large crowds, I decided to go. Not because I suddenly became a huge fan of parades or dancing (although yes, I am, but during this festival, I would honestly prefer to watch from a distance). The Santo Niño mass is something I’ve always loved to attend. Masses are the most significant part of this big celebration. So, I made a decision: I’m going. I’m attending the mass. No excuses. Despite the thousands of people flocking to Cebu.
I went to a few novena masses before Sinulog day came. We had some free time between work (well, not too free, because we always end up going home late, like, 9 or 10 p.m. late). I swear, I’m pretty sure our work hours are sponsored by caffeine. Hahaha, not the coffee with coffee mate or latte, but Kapeng Barako, the Filipino way. The masses at that time could be dealt with because there was enough room to move comfortably, despite the thousands of devotees who attended. I could definitely handle that. But Sinulog Sunday? That was a whole other level. You need to prepare your mind and body thoroughly for this experience.
The purpose of that day became straightforward because I wanted to attend the 10 a.m. mass. I showed up at the Basilica just after 12. No surprise there, right? It's normal during this time of the year. During Sinulog, you don’t get stuck in traffic while riding a jeep or a bus. Nope. The real traffic happens when you're on foot. Hahaha. I’m talking about shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, with both locals and foreigners flooding the streets like the event was the city's only highlight (which, in reality, it was). I stopped to catch my breath after moving only a few moments with the people surrounding me. The crowds treated me like a squeezed sardine packed tightly into a tin can. Hahahaha, the common phrase of Filipinos during situations like this.
Despite my interest in attending the celebrations, I felt it was too risky for me to attend either the marching parades or the open-air performances because it would probably lead me either to faint within overcrowded conditions or be trapped in a crowd crush. So, I just followed my initial decision by only going to the mass.
The mass experience proved worth my entire day. Absolutely worth it. Singing the Sto Niño song with everyone else became my top festival favorite thing. It has this heartfelt feeling. You get goosebumps as you completely lose track of the surrounding chaos outside. This part became my most favorite due to the beautiful sound of the blended voices of devotees. It felt so peaceful. You know what I always love? The Sinulog Festival chant. When the whole crowd united in song to sing "Viva Pit Señor!" we all dedicated it to everything from problems to heartaches and beloved loved ones to personal experiences that every single person in there could relate to. It's super worth it. I endured both heat and crowd exposure without even using an umbrella (yes, with no umbrella, because I initially thought I could sit under the chairs with a roof on, but beyond that, I survived anyway).
The day made me completely happy since I considered it to be both fulfilling and wonderful. Yes! I hope someday my preparation will be total and complete, especially physically. Because I really want to witness all the enjoyable events and activities during the day.
