Sinulog is a coming together of Cebuano's love for religion, dancing, and pageants. A plethora of events are scheduled around the Sinulog - from the Miss Cebu pageant to martial arts competitions. It is impossible to do the Sinulog justice whether via a website or a documentary film; you just have to be there. This feature on the Sinulog is a completely inadequate attempt to give you a rough idea of some of the flavor of this mega event.

Essentially, the Sinulog, which takes place in the third week of January, can be defined as the feast day - i.e. fiesta - of the Santo Niņo, i.e. Child Jesus. As such, the procession in which an icon of the saint is carried around and followed by devotees comprises an essential element of the fiesta. The dancing in the parade on the following day, Sinulog Day, is a tribute to the Santo Nino. A fluvial procession is also a traditional part of the festivities; both processions take place on Saturday. Sunday is Sinulog Day.

• THE ARMADA OF GOD - FLUVIAL PROCESSION
• THE ARMY OF GOD - SANTO NINO PROCESSION
• TRIUMPH OF THE WILL - PARADE ON SINULOG DAY

This kernel of culture was expanded and magnified into an organized competition between teams of dance companies; elite dance companies assemble in Cebu from all over the Visayas and compete for substantial monetary prizes. In 2005, the top prize for the free interpretation category was 500,000 pesos; a huge amount in the Philippines. Perhaps because of the size of the purse, the judging is strict. The main contested categories are for the dancing: Sinulog-Based and Free Interpretation. But there are many others, such as a prize for the best costume, best higante (a giant costume), best puppeteer, best float, and so on.

The dancing is magnificant; while most dance companies adhere to the original "two steps forward, one step back" rhythm, incredibly intricate and creative choreography - for some reason almost always devised by a bayut choreographer, who escorts the contingent and makes sure everyone does their job properly by way of a series of tart instructions - makes watching just about any dance company an unmitigated pleasure. As far as street dancing is concerned, the Philippines is a superpower among nations.

While not all contingents include a puppeteer or higante, all come with a band which provides the rhythm. Usually this takes the form of a drum and bugle band - drum and bugle corps are ubiquitous in the Philippines, and can be found in every neighborhood, making a huge racket night after night as they polish their act. At Sinulog 2005, however, some contingents danced to music creatively produced using native instruments.

Contingents participating in the Sinulog arrive not just from all over Cebu island but from other parts of the Philippines; in the past there have even been foreign participants. The best performances are unquestionably those by groups from distant cities, who have much more at stake, both in terms of financial outlay and pride. While some contingents are fielded by schools, the best teams are organized by towns or cities, often to publicize their local festival. The teams are referred to as tribes, such as Tribu Iliganon (the Iligan Tribe).

This brings us to an inherent paradox in the Sinulog celebration. For some reason, despite the fact that the Sinulog revolves around an icon of European manufacture and a religion imported from the West, the Sinulog has taken on a strongly native flavor. The drumming, the rhythms, and the decorations all - while ostensibly paying tribute to the Child Jesus - are inspired by pagan rituals and culture, or at least modern-day Cebuanos' conceptions of what these might be. During Sinulog, the Cebuanos unleash their tribal instincts: Western business attire is ripped off and replaced by war paint, feathers, and bamboo ornaments. And that's just the spectators.

The dance teams proceed along a circular route - known as the carousel - and eventually end up at Abellana, the Cebu City Sports Stadium. There, on a stage, they perform a completely different and far more elaborate routine than the street dancing routine, for the benefit of TV cameras. The proceedings are broadcast nationwide on live television.

One aspect often overlooked, especially by tourists, is the importance of being present during the feast day of the Santo Nino for religious Cebuanos all over the island. It is perhaps no coincidence that those who feel the greatest need to beseech the Santo Nino for divine intervention are those who can least afford to make the trip to Cebu City. The Cebu City government handles this problem well; it gets together with a rich foundation, owned by a shipping and developer conglomerate, and sets up a several dozen containers as temporary housing for the devotees who have nowhere to stay. Devotee City, as it is known, is welcomed by those who need it, as well as by those who don't - for them, the sight of people sleeping on the sidewalks is an eyesore.

Wa'y Blima! went to Devotee City and found it behind Plaza Independencia, the site of a bazaar a few hundred yards removed from the Basilica del Santo Nino. As Mass was ongoing at the time, most of the containers were empty. One family, depicted at right, had made the trip from Pinamungajan, on the other side of Cebu Island. Wa'y Blima! hesitantly asked for permission to take photographs, the head of the household quickly obliged and assembled all members of the family - proud to be present for the Sinulog, rather than embarrassed to be living in a container.

During Sinulog season, Cebuanos greet each other with "Pit Senyor" which originally is a supplication to the Santo Nino. While dancing, some sing the Sinulog song, or incorporate elements of it into their score. The refrain of the Sinulog song can also be constantly heard endlessly repeated in malls and on the radio during the month of January, along with characteristic tribal drumming.

Sinulog, i-syagit ug kusog!
Pit senyor, pit senyor!
Tanan mag-saulog!

Sinulog has its dark side. The traffic is terrible across the city, people drink far too much, and any business activity grinds to a halt. A lot of Cebuanos wait Sinulog out at home, catching up on their reading. Perhaps because of inept organization, far fewer Cebuanos watch the street dancing than one would imagine.

The film was called, "The Triumph of the Will." Like everything else about the film, the title was nothing but sheer propaganda; it should have been more accurately called "The Suppression of the Will," which is what the Nazis were good at.

But a real triumph of the will took place on January 16, 2005, in Cebu.

Despite monumental incompetence on the part of the organizers, who apparently were given the mission of sabotaging the Sinulog to the best of their ability, the event was a smashing success on account of the sheer power of the individual will of the hundreds of dancers who endured extreme conditions but still managed to deliver an astounding performance.

Newly inducted Tourism Secretary "Ace" Durano later told the media that the Sinulog was an example of how all festivals should be, proving conclusively that he was on another planet during the actual event. Although the 2005 Sinulog was, supposedly, the best organized ever, as is always the case, far too few bleachers had been set up, causing 90 percent of all spectators to have a view of little but the back of the heads of other spectators, which in turn caused most people to head elsewhere in frustration, and the rest of the mass of people to surge forward and crowd the dancers. As a result, dance contingents had to be escorted by relatives and security people who, separated by a rope, would walk alongside the dancers, protecting them from the surging crowds - thus interfering with the view and the ambience. In a throwback to the colonial era, some viewing stands had been set up for the pleasure of elite spectators - possibly sponsors - using up all of the sidewalk so that the great unwashed were forced to step on toddlers and the elderly while squeezing past each other.

Worst of all, criminal mismanagement, probably due in part to an overemphasis on judging, meant that dancers had to wait for hours - literally hours - in the blinding glare of the sun without proceeding as much as an inch.

Attired in their elaborate costumes, dancers would spend more time squatting in the hot sun, dripping mascara and simply enduring the passage of time, instead of dancing. Is this what they had spent many months preparing for? Is this why they had been travelling since yesterday? Often, a wave of drumming from upfront would stir the dancers into action, exciting the crowds - but it would be a false alarm. In some cases, choreographers, nerves frayed and frustration getting the better of them, would walk up and down the rows yelling for everyone to stop dancing. And who can blame them? The bureaucratic bungling was - as usual - enough to disillusion the Santo Nino himself.

And yet. And yet, and yet, and yet. Despite the best attempts of the organizers to suppress the genuine excitement of the dancers, the dancers triumphed. Despite harsh conditions and the multitude of obstacles thrown in their way, they took their moment to shine, and shine they did. Despite the Sinulog Foundation's best efforts to sap it, their joy carried the day. The dancing heroes and heroines of the Philippines performed routine after routine with the same gusto and enthusiasm as if it were their last, and through unbelievable feats of stamina, energy, and talent, entertained each and every spectator with an awe-inspiring performance. It truly was a triumph of the will.