page_title: Santo Niño de Cebú
section_title: Feast
hierarchical_section_title: Santo Niño de Cebú / Feast
caption_attribution_description: English: Batobalani sa gugma
context_page_description: The Santo Niño de Cebú is a Roman Catholic title of the Child Jesus associated with a religious image of the Christ Child widely venerated as miraculous by Filipino Catholics. It is the oldest Christian artefact in the Philippines, originally a gift from explorer Ferdinand Magellan to Rajah Humabon and his chief consort on account of their baptism in 1521.
  The dark wood statue measures approximately twelve inches tall, and carved in the Flemish style. It depicts the Child Jesus, with a serene countenance, in the attitude and dress of a Spanish monarch. The statue bears imperial regalia, including a golden crown, globus cruciger, and various sceptres, wears fine vestments, and possesses jewelry mostly offered by devotees over several centuries.
  Pope Paul VI granted a Canonical Coronation of the statue on 28 April 1965 and later raised its shrine to the status of Minor Basilica on 2 May 1965 via his Papal bull Cubanula Religionis to mark the fourth centenary of Christianity in the Philippine Islands.
  The image is replicated in various parts of the country with different titles and is one of the most beloved and recognizable Filipino cultural icons.
context_section_description: The feast, locally known as Fiesta Señor, starts on the Thursday after the Solemnity of the Epiphany. Each year, the celebration starts with a dawn procession wherein the replica image of Santo Niño de Cebú is brought down to the streets. It is then followed by the novena Masses, which span nine days.
  On the last day of the novena, another dawn procession is held wherein the image of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebú removed from its shrine and brought to the Basílica Menor. After the procession, it will stay for a while in the Basilica. Then, the images of Santo Niño de Cebu and Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebú are brought to the National Shrine of St. Joseph in Mandaue City to be reunited with the icon of the church's namesake, thus forming the Holy Family. This transfer, which is common in fiestas throughout the country, is called Traslación.
  On the morning of the vísperas ("eve", i.e., the day before) of the feast, the images of Santo Niño de Cebu and Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebú are brought back to Cebu City in a fluvial procession that concludes with a reenactment of the first Mass and baptism in the islands. It is then followed by a grand yet solemn foot procession in the afternoon, culminating in a Pontifical Mass concelebrated by bishops and priests. The grand Sinulog Festival is then held on the following Sunday.
caption: Devotees flock to the Basílica Menor del Santo Niño during the novena masses.
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