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January 21, 2019

Filipinos honor Child Jesus with feast

Filipinos, especially those in the central Philippine city of Cebu, honor the Child Jesus, known as the Santo Nino, with a feast every January.

Highlighted by Masses, parades, water and land processions, beauty contests, street dances and concerts, and fireworks, the celebrations usually lasts for nine days.

The annual event draws thousands of people from across the country and from abroad. Dubbed the "Sinulog," the feast is one of the country's most popular religious celebrations.

The feast is also celebrated in other parts of the country, including the Manila district of Tondo where residents trace their roots from the Visayas region.

The image of the Santo Nino in Cebu is a gift of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan to the queen of the island following her baptism as a Catholic, which brought Christianity for the first time to Philippine shores in 1521.

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UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia