The final major festival of the Christmas season in the Philippines was held on Sunday, Jan. 21, as several places in the archipelago celebrate the feast of the Santo Niño, or of Jesus depicted as a child.
In a message to the Filipino people, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called on those who were devoted to the Christ Child to "translate [their] faith into action" in order to "spread the message of hope, love and joy to others."
"Most importantly, always pray for spiritual strength and fortitude to overcome whatever challenges and difficulties that may lie ahead," he added.
Marcos also particularly greeted the people of Cebu for its celebration of the Sinulog Festival.
Cebu Police Estimates 3 Million Flocking Sinulog Festival Parade
The city of Cebu is fiesta central as police estimate millions of people attending the Sinulog Festival, culminating with the peculiar Filipino Catholic feast every third Sunday of January. Several places in the nation also spread the celebration throughout this month.
During the principal Mass on Sunday, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma urged the congregation to equally focus on enriching the family and the importance of education both at school and at home.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Cebu chief Col. Ireneo Dalogdog told SunStar that an estimated 2.5 million to 3 million people attended the grand parade alone on Sunday afternoon, local time (morning UTC). An additional 1.1 million walked the city streets on the eve of the feast on Saturday, Jan. 20, local broadcaster GMA reported.
Meanwhile, Cebu Mayor Michael Rama said he was delighted to notice that Sinulog attendees behaved more than in previous years.
Manila's Santo Niño Festivities
On the other hand, Manila matched the festivities of Cebu by hosting its own Santo Niño festivities in at least two of its districts.
Festivities in the Philippine capital began last week with the district of Pandacan and its Buling-Buling Festival.
Nearer to the city's center, the ancient district of Tondo culminated the city's festivities, with local media outlet ABS-CBN reporting at least 6,000 people joining the pre-dawn procession across its streets.
Festivities in honor of the Santo Niño were also held in the Bago Bantay district of the nearby suburb of Quezon City.
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