Thousands join start of 9-day novena mass for Sto. Niño

CEBU CITY – Thousands of religious devotees joined the early dawn procession on Thursday from the Fuente Osmeña Oval to the Basilica del Sto. Niño de Cebu, carrying images and statues of the Child Jesus in different forms and sizes, ushering the start of the traditional nine-day novena for the Feast of the Sto. Niño de Cebu.
Dubbed the “Walk With Jesus Procession,” the religious march gathered devotees from Cebu and beyond who traveled to the city to attend the procession.
“I have been doing this for the past 10 years. The Sto. Niño has been giving me and my family good health so I will be participating in the procession for as long as my body will allow,” said 68-year-old Crisanta Coronado, who traveled from Moalboal town, south of Cebu, to attend the procession.
Crisanta joined a huge throng of devotees, mostly with their families, including children in tow, in the procession that ended with the first novena mass at the Basilica.
The nine-day novena will culminate on the third Sunday of the month, January 17, which is the actual Feast of the Sto. Niño de Cebu.
Meanwhile, Cebu's tourism industry is expected to shine bright at the start of 2010 as the mad rush for hotel bookings in Cebu City began. All available accommodations in the city, leading up to the annual biggest event of the year in Cebu, the Sinulog Festival whose 30th anniversary is being celebrated this year, are expected to be fully booked.
Initiated in 1980, the Sinulog Festival manifests the devotion of the Cebuanos to its Patron Saint, Señor Sto. Niño through dance movements depicting the island province’s religious history including how its people were converted to Roman Catholicism.
In the past, Sinulog Mardi Gras participants were scant, but over the years, the numbers have grown as more and more people from outside Cebu come to take part in the Sinulog parade.
The Sinulog Mardi Gras has evolved from a simple event to being a major tourism crowd drawer currently.
The festival has also become a particularly popular religious event among Sto. Niño devotees, some of whom come to Cebu from as far as Mindanao and Luzon to pay their respects to the Child Jesus, or the Sto. Niño. Also, the Sinulog festivities have become a major motive for balikbayans to come home and celebrate with their loved ones.
This coming Friday, the 2010 Sinulog Festival will kick off at 2:00 p.m. with a Sinulog retrospective photo exhibit to be put up simultaneously at SM City Cebu, Ayala Center and at the Mactan Cebu International Airport. This will be followed by a solemn mass at 3:00 p.m. at the Basilica del Sto. Niño.
At 7:00 p.m., a parade will be conducted from the Basilica del Sto. Niño to the Cebu City Sports Center followed by the opening and launching program at Fuente Osmeña at 7:30 p.m.
Succeeding days will have activities that include the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan, Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan, cultural shows, concerts and street party bands at Fuente Osmeña, Ms. Cebu 2010 pageant, Cebu Pop Festival, Walk With Mary, Misa de Translacion motorcade, Sinulog Festival Queen 2010 Competition and Balik Cebu Welcome Party for Balikbayans