my trip to Sto. Niño

The day I went to Sto. Niño church, was one of the days of the traditional novena masses held every year before the Sinulog festival. It's expected for the place to be crowded and very hot. A lot of tourists would go to the church and visit one of the oldest churches in Cebu. People came there especially during the Sinulog festival because it's the most celebrated event of the year, it's even bigger than Christmas for the Cebuanos, maybe because of the many beliefs that prayers are answered by the patron saint, Sto. Niño during this festival but those just are beliefs so there's nothing wrong if you believe them or not.

As I arrived at the place, the place was very crowded, more crowded than usual. I was late for the traditional novena masses but still I attended. I then went to the candle lighting area to say my prayers to the dead and the living. After I said my prayers, I went on a little site seeing at the place. I visited the Magellan's Cross. Before I went home, I passed by the old women of the Sto. Niño church (outside of the entrance of the church) who sells long, thin candles as lighted, would signify your wishes and prayers, but still it's up to you if you believe it or not (old women wearing yellow blouses and red skirts). You have to buy their long candles for them to pray for your prayers, they could be quite annoying, insisting you to buy their candles. I understood 'coz it's also a way of living for them for such a small amount. I eventually bought one of the women's candles and then prayed for my prayers.

Beware of pickpockets as there are a lot in this area.

The Story of Santo Nino

It is told that when, in the days of Legaspi, the capital was moved from Cebu to Manila, the authorities decreed that the image of the Sto. Nino should also be moved to the new capital.

So, the image was crated and shipped to manila, but the crate arrived there empty. The image miraculously disappeared, reappearing in its shrine in Cebu. It was recreated, and the crate placed inside another box, and then shipped to manila. Again, the boxes arrived in Manila empty. The image was crated a third time, and the crate placed not in one but in two boxes - but in vain. The Santo Nino was back in Cebu.

Eventually, the shippers sent the image out in a series of Chinese boxes, one inside another, with the seventh and inner-most box containing the image. In this manner, the image arrived in Manila and was enthroned in the Augustinian church of the capital city. The image, however, kept disappearing from the Augustinian church and reappearing in its shrine in Cebu. And so, it is told, the Manila Augustinians decided to cut off one of the Holy Child’s legs to stop it from escaping and returning to Cebu. This proved of no avail. The Santo Nino still kept on returning to Cebu

Manila finally gave up and Cebu kept its little Lord. Today, it is said, one can still notice how unevenly the Santo Nino stands. It is a sign of how, at one time, it had been amputated to keep it from returning to its beloved home.

In other versions of this story, the image was shipped not to Manila but to Spain. Whatever the version, however, it is a story told to show how intimately wedded to each other Cebu and the Santo Nino have become.