Sto. Niño Exhibit and Procession

As the only catholic nation in Asia, great reverence and importance is given to the image of the young Christ here in the Philippines. The Sto. Niño as we call it has different versions. This deep love of the Filipinos to the image of the young Christ is not only rooted in our culture, for some it is also a way of life.

Aside from the Sinulog in Cebu, the fiesta in Tondo, and the Ati-Atihan in Aklan, one of the festivities showing this great love of the Filipinos to the Sto. Niño is the Annual Sto. Niño Exhibit and Procession in Manila that is held every last week of January. The exhibit is usually a three day event and culminates with the much anticipated procession.

This procession starts from Pasay City and ends at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila. Along the way, there are thousands of devotees who bring their own images of the Sto. Niño, participate in the street dancing and even have their picnic along Roxas Boulevard, a section of which is closed to traffic just to accommodate the special event. This deep love to the Sto. Niño is indeed a distinct trait of us Filipinos. Nonetheless, foreign tourists also take their time to watch the procession and mingle with the crowd.

As a devotee of the Sto. Niño, Kuya Richard, my brother-in-law always participates in this annual festival. For this year, he invited us to join the procession but since we came from the province at that time, we only managed to watch the procession. Images of the young Jesus Christ include the classical ones such as that of the Sto. Niño de Cebu, the Sto. Niño de Palaboy, another dressed as a fisherman, and also as a Ship Captain.

Hunnys

Hunny, Shella, Ryan and Zyrene

Devotees dedicate great effort and time in the preparation and in decorating the respective carriages of their Sto. Niños. You can only but admire the artistry and skill of the participants. Children also enjoy the candies that the devotees give them, trick or treat Filipino style.

Truly, the Sto. Niño has a special place in our hearts. We love the Sto. Niño, Viva Sto. Niño!

"Kuya Richard, Lola, Marianne, Volta...atbp."

"Moriones"