Sinulog Saturday 2009 is family time

If Sinulog Sunday were meant for the biggest streetdancing of Cebu (and arguably in the Philippines as well), Sinulog Saturday is for family. It is the day devoted for the solemn procession, set apart from the commercialization and revelry of the Sinulog fiesta. Traditions tend to ground us in a world of changes and our family keeps religious observances close to heart.

We skipped the daybreak fluvial parade this year as the early morning schedule was too disruptive for our daughter Cacing. Instead, we headed to the city only during lunch for a mini-reunion with relatives on my mom’s side.


the 2-way MJ Cuenco St was filled with procession-goers along the 5 km circular route
Canon EOS 5D, 1/200s, f/1.8, 50mm, ISO 50


The route this year was quite long. At about 5 kilometers, this was more than double last year’s. Instead of our usual camp-out at the Metropolitan Cebu Cathedral parking area, my aunts found an old house of a relative at the juncture of T. Padilla St and MJ Cuenco. We considered ourselves lucky to have a convenient place to stay as we opted out of the procession this year. Cacing doesn’t really enjoy the stroller and we could not carry her all throughout the procession. Indeed, while the procession started at around 1 PM, it took about 2 hours for the head of procession to pass by us. Some 30 minutes later, at past 3:30, the Sto Niño carroza arrived. The church obviously made it a mission to usher the Sto Niño back to the Basilica early. About a million people was estimated to have joined the procession and it wasn’t until about 5PM when we saw the tailend of the procession.


people waving to the Sto Niño
Canon EOS 5D, 1/200s, f/1.8, 50mm, ISO 50


As reunions go, ties were renewed and tales were swapped. I had idle time with my camera. My nieces and nephews became willing models and I enjoyed photographing them. I am sharing here few of the shots.


Jasmine
Canon EOS 5D, 1/200s, f/2.8, 100mm, ISO 100




IK
Canon EOS 5D, 1/1250s, f/2.8, 100 mm, ISO 1600




IC
Canon EOS 5D, 1/50s, f/2.8, 100mm, ISO 640


To cap the day, we proceeded to the SM Mall and had dinner with old flickr friends Maning and Tet. At 8PM, we went up to the SM roof deck to watch the 1st Sinulog Pyrotechnics Competition.


my aunt’s Sto Niño which she brought for the procession
Canon EOS 5D, 1/400s, f/2.8, 100mm, ISO 3200

As pyrotechnics go, I’ve seen more impressive fireworks but then, I really wasn’t expecting anything grand, what with the current economic crunch. Too bad, I was ready with my tripod as I’ve never photographed fireworks before.


a captive audience before a fireworks-lit night sky
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 2.0s, f/3.5, 18mm, ISO 800


After the presentation of the third contestant, I decided to go home. It was getting late and Cacing already was asleep. We left SM just before traffic turned horrendous and made it home at 9:30 PM.


part of the pyrotechnic display at SM
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 3.2s, f/4, 18mm, ISO 800

My colds were also getting terrible so sleep was much welcomed. The street parade the next day would be big and I wasn’t about to miss that.

the Sinulog 2009 series includes
the Sinulog Saturday procession and fireworks
Sinulog 2009 grand street parade part 1 (winners),
part 2 (the Sinulog-based contingents)
part 3 (the Free Interpretation contingents), and
the Sinulog beauties

Sinulug 2006- the fluvial and grand religious processions

For almost two decades now, my family and I have been attending the Sinulog grand religious procession held every third Saturday of January. It is only on this day that the entire city center of Cebu would be closed and for five hours no less. The procession is in honor of the Blessed Child Jesus or the Sto Niño and no one really complains, gridlock and business interruption notwithstanding.


the Mandaue procession at the Ouano wharf (photo by my wife)


In about two weeks from now, it would be that time of the year and in anticipation of the event, let me take you to a pictorial flashback two years ago.

Our day started early at dawn. The afternoon before, on Friday, the holy images of the Lady of Guadalupe, Cebu’s patroness and the Blessed Child Jesus, were brought to the St. Joseph Parish Church in Mandaue City for an overnight vigil. By early morning on Saturday, the two icons were carried in a procession in the streets to the wharf of Ouano for the customary fluvial procession along the Mandaue-Mactan Channel.


the fluvial procession at Mandaue (photo by my wife)


If there were one perk of working in a company located in Ouano compound, this was it, and we had a front-row vantage point of the proceedings. We climbed onto the roof of the office and got close-up shots as the procession came by. While we weren’t able to get into a boat for the fluvial procession, we joined the thick crowd in a send-off at the Ouano wharf. As you could see in the picture, the sea of humanity who joined in the rites was astonishing.


The images being loaded into the boat for the fluvial parade. Note the priest taking photos of the Sto Niño. He is Fr. Pederito Aparece, OSA aka prncwr in flickr
Camera: Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/50s, f/5.6, 49mm, ISO 100


The fluvial procession headed off to the port of Cebu and a celebratory parade ushered the images to the Basilica where a reenactment of the christening of the Cebu rajah in 1521 was performed. A holy mass capped off the events in the morning.


the “galleon” boat bearing the images of the Holy Child and Mother, Mandaue City, Cebu, the Philippines (photo by my wife)


Although the grand religious procession started at 1:30PM, as always, we went to the city at 10AM to get a select parking spot. Park spaces are a premium come Sinulog time and we needed a place that was close enough to the Basilica del Sto Niño but just outside the perimeter route of the procession so that we would not get trapped. Our meeting place with friends and family was the nearby Metropolitan Cebu Cathedral. We joined the procession promptly at the start of the parade.


the Metropolitan Cebu Cathedral, Cebu City, the Philippines
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/100s, f/20, 41mm, ISO 100


Hundreds of thousands of faithful attended the religious procession. The participants marked the parade with solemn prayers, hymns and recitations of the holy rosary.


the image of the Holy Child (photo by my wife)


For crowd control, the parade route was roped by students. Distinctly, I still can remember giving such mandatory service during Sinulog time. Today, students still do this as part of their co-curricular military or community training in year 1 and 2 in college. I am pleased that nowadays, female students are required the same chore. This is gender equality. Up to the early 90s, only men get the “honor”.


at the Osmena Boulevard, Cebu City, Cebu, the Philippines
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/160s, f/8, 55mm, ISO 100


The route was circuitous and extended at least 5 kilometers. In one strip in Jakosalem St, parents decided to dress up their kids as angels for the Holy Child. Perched on a makeshift bleacher, they surely enjoyed the attention from procession-goers. With our feet aching, we delighted in taking a respite and I took photographs of the cherubs.


at Jakosalem St, Cebu City, the Philippines
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/100s, f/8, 47mm, ISO 100


It was so wickedly hot that afternoon and I took pity on the children. They were certainly instructed to do their duty to “watch” over the crowd despite the heat. One kid was lucky as she had a parasol to keep up her poise.


at Jakosalem St, Cebu City, the Philippines
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/200s, f/6.3, 49mm, ISO 100


Although the procession started early, the Sto Niño carroza only emerged from the Basilica del Sto Niño past 3PM due to the thickness of the crowds.


the thick crowd participating in the procession (photo by my wife)


As we were with the early pack, we arrived early and had time to attend mass at the nearby Cathedral at 4:30PM. The Metropolitan Cebu Cathedral literally became a haven for procession-goers, weary from the walk around the city.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 4/5s, f/6.3, 18mm, ISO 100
the Metropolitan Cebu Cathedral during the Sinulog procession


Afterwards, we even had an hour to burn before the Sto Niño arrived.


a closer look of the Metropolitan Cebu Cathedral
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 4s, f/22, 18mm, ISO 100


At 6:30PM, the Holy Child finally passed by the Cathedral. Everyone fell to a hush. In prayer, balloons were set free, handkerchiefs were waved in the air and implorations escaped from the lips of the faithful. A feeling of awe and humility fell on everybody.

People became one.

Viernes Santo 2008, part 2

Tableaux

Aside from singular standing icons, there were a few tableaux paraded during Good Friday at Talamban. These are biblical scenes which consist of 2 or more images. There could be more than three tableaux but it was difficult to cover everything in the little time I had.

First, there was the Pieta which is a relatively new addition to the Talamban lineup and owned by a local councilor Nestor Archival. Unquestionably, its design was derived from Michelangelo’s marble masterpiece. I must admit that in the photograph below, I was more interested in presenting the colorfully garbed lay ministers playing the “Apostles” during the Good Friday proceedings than the Pieta or the Santo Entierro in the background.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/500s, f/5.0, 190mm, ISO 800, +2/3EV
the Pieta tableau and the Santo Entierro, as framed by the lay ministers dressing up as the Apostles during the Good Friday procession, Talamban, Cebu City
phototip: Bring life to procession shots by framing them with people.


I was only able to shoot one other tableau, which I think is The Third Last Words. Conveniently parked in front of the school gate, the Crucifixion features the Crucified Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and St. John the Evangelist. I took a few frames and below are 3 versions.

The first photo was an attempt to isolate the Mater Dolorosa (Grieving Mother) and the Crucified Christ. I tried to eliminate St. John from the frame but not completely so as the halo could still be seen at the right border of the frame. However, I like how the late afternoon sky came out clean and blue.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1000s, f/18, 50mm, ISO 100
the Crucifixion tableau, Good Friday procession, Talamban, Cebu City


The next picture incorporated Mary Magdalene in the frame. I tried several angles but this time, the background proved to be the distraction. The windows of the house across the school stick out sorely.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/640s, f5.0, 95mm, ISO 400, +1/3 EV
the Crucifixion tableau, Good Friday procession, Talamban, Cebu City


I like the last shot best. It was not taken near the image but was shot some 20 meters away, on higher ground (the church is on a hill overlooking the parish school). There were however, too many streamers and painted murals on the walls. Given no alternative, I tried to present them as a religious context to the scene. I also believe that the high angle managed to illustrate the excitement of the dense crowd just when the procession was about to start.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/500s, f/5.6, 240mm, ISO 800, +2/3EV
the Crucifixion tableau, Good Friday procession, Talamban, Cebu City


Santo Entierro

Ask any Filipino what the climax of the Good Friday procession is and you’ll get a unanimous answer: the Santo Entierro (the Holy Burial or Haya in Cebuano). The parade rightfully reserves a central role to the Santo Entierro as a penitential commemoration of the Jesus’ sacrifice in Calvary.

Talamban’s Santo Entierro, I’ve been told, is owned by the family of the late Vicente Leyson, a former barangay captain, and is as old as the church that was established in the 1960s. As called for by custom, the Santo Entierro is placed in a hearse adorned only with white flowers, linen and lamps although the wooden carroza is painted in gold, which came out remarkably photogenic in pictures.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/125s, f5.6, 40mm, ISO 800, +1/3 EV
the Santo Entierro just before the start of the Good Friday procession, the San Isidro Parish Church, Talamban, Cebu City, the Philippines
phototip: The classical golden section is an effective composition.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/320s, f5.0, 40mm, ISO 800, +1/3 EV
the Santo Entierro just before the start of the Good Friday procession, the San Isidro Parish Church, Talamban, Cebu City, the Philippines
phototip: Photographing the photographer is interesting when the subject is a woman of cloth!


the Veneration

The procession began a little past 5:30 P.M. Following a route that was around 4 kilometers long, the procession only started to file back an hour later. Because of the thick crowd, it took another 15 minutes for all of the carrozas to get back in the school grounds. As expected, upon arrival at the parish school yard, there was a rumble as people elbowed each other to get the flowers adorning the carts, especially that of the Santo Entierro. Belief is that they are miraculous having been blessed in the act of the procession. These flowers are often incorporated in cure-all elixirs called in the vernacular as lana (oil) or haplas (salve). I pity the carroza marshalls for they cannot never really save the flowers but only safeguard the icon from vandalism or damage.

Only the Santo Entierro gets the honor to be ushered inside the Church. It was laid in front of the altar. Automatically, people flanked the image at three sides and the lay ministers had to move in quickly to form queues and maintain order.

Photographing the scenes of veneration was difficult as the jostling madness could not give me any clear shot. Fortunately, I saw that the stairwell leading to the choir loft was not locked. Nobody really minded me sneaking up and settling my tripod. The view from above was perfect. My telephoto lens is not really that powerful nor sharp but it is serviceable on occasions like this one.

The weakness of the 75-300mm 1:4-5.6 II USM lens is nevertheless obvious. Grain can be an issue especially with a crop as severe as the one below. The flickering shadows are actually the moving lines of the worshippers who kissed the image in a span of 20 seconds.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 20s, f/29, 230mm, ISO 100, -1/3 EV
the Santo Entierro, during Good Friday, the San Isidro Parish Church, Talamban, Cebu City, the Philippines
phototip: I chose a narrow aperture to achieve an exposure of 20 seconds. This allows me to make the worshippers filing to kiss the Holy Body “disappear” into indistinct but ghostly shadows.


Getting a clean shot of the chaos was a challenge. I had to time a shot wherein the Santo Entierro would not be totally covered by people during the exposure. I also composed a frame that juxtaposed the snaking queues against the others worshippers who chose to say their petitions in silence on the pews. Below is one version in full saturated colors.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 25s, f/22, 49mm, ISO 100, -1/3 EV
the queue to kiss the Santo Entierro, San Isidro Parish Church, Talamban, Cebu City, the Philippines
phototip: Time the shot to ensure that the photo gets a clear view of the subject, the Santo Entierro.


The photo below is the actually the same as the one above, only that I cropped the scene closer to the Santo Entierro. The conversion to black and white allows clearer isolation the subject, as the eye is ultimately led towards the subject of veneration.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 25s, f/22, 49mm, ISO 100, -1/3 EV
a closer crop of the queue to kiss the Santo Entierro, San Isidro Parish Church, Talamban, Cebu City, the Philippines

When I left the church that night, I realized that not like in the past, I was not really able to walk through the procession. Playing the photographer prevented me so. But documentating is not just spectating. I left with a renewed sense of belief that recording acts of faith is an active affirmation of my own.

Viernes Santo 2008, part 1

Indulging the photographic itch is difficult when you have an infant. Parenthood makes me reassess my priorities. I could no longer do things that I take for granted in the past. On-the-spot vacations can no longer be and everything have to be planned ahead. Even a trip to the mall needs a game plan – where can we change diapers? what if she fussed and cried? This Holy Week then, I was in a quandary. I traditionally would like to check out old churches, as it is the time to photograph antique icons which only get the light of day this time of the year. Too bad. This year would be different. I am homebound.

With the Holy Week almost over, I had to muster all of what’s left of my sapped energy to attend the local procession in Talamban, where I settled since I got married last year. I was not expecting anything grandiose as the parish is relatively new. The church is probably at most 40 years old.

But Talamban isn’t exactly a small community and I was not disappointed. Traditions remain deep-rooted in Catholic Philippines and the Viernes Santo (Good Friday) procession was a fulfilling spiritual exercise and an enjoyable photographic journey.

Imahen

I counted at least 9 images and 3 tableaux in the procession, all of which can safely be assumed as private patronages of families living in Talamban. There were no century old antiques although the Santo Entierro does look old.

As I took the pictures I realized one glaring fact, that the icons of the holy women were not identified. When I got back home, I then checked into my “reliable” source of local iconography- Flickr’s own Semana Santa Filipinas which has a lively discussion thread on the women in the Passion of Jesus regularly featured in Holy Week processions. My thinking was that I could identify the images based on the religious symbols that they bear. Wrong!

I soon realized that in the Philippines, where folk Catholicism is strong, symbols and attributes are a confused jumble. While symbolism as a rule, is based on the Bible, it too can be derived from legend and myth. As a result, the representation varies on the location here in the Philippines. Iconography traditions, while not scant, most probably evolve over the centuries and apparently have been left rather too losely for the santos maker and owner to interpret. To complicate matters, religious attributes actually change according to the day of the Holy Week, so some images are adaptable as are the objects they hold. Who is to guarantee that when old icons are turned over to heirs, the original paraphernalia are not lost and replaced with the correct ones?

There are some symbols though which are irrefutable conventional knowledge. The handkerchief with the imprint of the face Jesus is unmistakably carried only by Veronica. No arguments there. The white linen and vial of perfume/container of spice is almost always clutched by Mary Magdalene.

Then symbols becomes convoluted. Who’s the one with the broom? the navete (incense boat) and cuchara (spoon)? the incensario (incenser/incense burner)?

In the Philippines, the woman with the broom is most likely Maria Jacobe. Peculiarly, she is often differented as a person distinct and separate from Maria Cleofe. However in biblical texts, it seems that Mary of Clopas or Cleophas (or Maria Cleofe here) is the Greek equivalent of the Latin Maria Jacobae. I guess it doesn’t hurt to have more than one representation of the same Mary! There are also towns in the Philippines where Salome, another holy woman, carries the broom. Then there is Martha who also carries household items, like, well, the broom again! And in Talamban such is the case.

For more interesting variations of the attributes of different saints, the Semana Santa Filipinas flickr pool offers a listing of common Philippine icons replete with texts and photo samples. A lot of the discourses are in Tagalog though but they are worth the read being both colloquial and erudite, sometimes to hilarious results.

The following are the various depictions of the holy women in Talamban. As always, I captured them in a photographic perspective so I am sharing some phototips in framing the icons esthetically.

[March 24, 2008 note: A good friend assisted me in the identification below. He’s Glenn Leyson, who is a “lumad” or native of Talamban and whose family now cares for a San Juan handed to them by the Son-Escuadro family. Other Leysons in the area own the Nazareno, the Agony in the Garden and the Santo Entierro (Haya). Thanks Glenn for the help!]


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/400, f/5.0, 120mm, ISO 800
the images of Veronica (Porcia family) and Maria Magdalena (Codoy family), Good Friday procession, Talamban, Cebu City
phototip: The assembly was in the local school so the background of buildings, electric wires could be distracting. Try to set an image against another, if possible.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/640s, f/5.0, 180mm, ISO 800
the image of Maria Magdalena of the Codoy family, Good Friday procession, Talamban, Cebu City. She holds the telltale white linen and bottle of perfume although these appear to be more appropriate for Easter Sunday’s Salubong/Sugat
phototip: Billboards could be offputting but I make it work by using a virtue signage as an allegory for the saint.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/500s, f/5.0, 190mm, ISO 800, +2/3EV
the image of Martha, Good Friday procession, Talamban, Cebu City
phototip: For me, the simplicity of the icon’s garment and broom implement calls for a plain backdrop so I chose an angle and focal distance which set the image against the blank part of the wall.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/160s, f/5.0, 135mm, ISO 800, +2/3EV
the image of Maria Salome of the Entece family, Good Friday procession, Talamban, Cebu City
phototip: The carroza light bulbs can be unsightly. To make the lamp “disappear”, I chose an angle where the lamp aligns with the sleeve fold.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/250s, f/5.0, 130mm, ISO 800
an image of Maria Cleofe, Good Friday procession, Talamban, Cebu City
phototip: In here, there is practically nothing I could do with the light fixtures anymore but the perspective was chosen to create the palm behind the cart as an attractive frame.


Prosesyon

I began taking pictures at 5PM just when the carrozas started to arrive and assemble in the parish school grounds adjacent to the church. Shortly thereafter, at 5:35PM, the procession began. The sky was getting dark. Processions, by tradition, are candlelit so they start before sundown in the Philippines.

All carrozas in Talamban are carts on wheels. They are hand-drawn. Yet there is no paucity of volunteers to help push the carts, which can be difficult considering the varying levels and conditions of the pavement.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/100, f/5.0, 18mm, ISO 800, +1/3EV
pushing the carro of Salome (?) out of the San Isidro Parish School, Talamban, Cebu, the Philippines
phototip: To exaggerate the action, use a low and wide camera angle.

I am not one who can estimate crowd number but the procession was almost a kilometer long from end to end. People, from the religious to the curious, also lined up along streets so an attendance of four to five thousand was most likely.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/250s, f/5.6, 75mm, ISO 1600
the Good Friday procession just as it emerged into the streets, Talamban, Cebu, the Philippines
phototip: To capture a comprehensive view of the procession, find an elevated vantage point. I shot this from a skywalk (an elevated pedestrian cross “bridge”) so I can see at least 5 processional carts from end to end.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 2.0s, f/29, 42mm, ISO 100
the Good Friday procession just as it emerged into the streets, Talamban, Cebu, the Philippines
phototip: Long exposure in daylight can be manipulated by chosing the narrowest aperture (f/29) at the lowest ISO. The relatively slow shutter speed of 2 seconds capture the fast-moving pace of the procession amidst the transfixed street audience.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/320s, f/5.6, 80mm, ISO 1600
Basco port, Batanes, the northernmost province of the Philippines
phototip: On the other hand, a fast exposure is necessary to freeze the various expressions of the crowd, especially upon passage of the centerpiece of the procession, the Santo Entierro. The ISO was pushed to its highest value at 1600 to prevent blur.


Processions are a community effort. No roads are sacred and for an hour and a half, traffic was brought to a standstill. The scene in Talamban is repeated in all parishes in the country and anyone who takes to the streets at sundown during Good Friday already knows what to expect. There would only be a few motorists anyway as after all, Viernes Santo is a sacred day when Christ has died. In the past, it is taboo to get out of the house, except of course, if you went to church.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 25.0s, f/36, 49mm, ISO 100, +1/3EV
the Good Friday procession literally stopped the traffic at Talamban, Cebu, the Philippines
phototip: The lines of traffic, the candlelight procession and even the power cables may be a mess but these can convey motion if taken in long exposures, especially during sunset.


to be concluded in part 2: tableaux, Santo Entierro and the Veneration