The Holy Infant of Cebu (Santo Nino de Cebu), Philippines :

09 January 2020

The island of Cebu was the first island in Philippines to adopt Christianity. It is in this island that the miraculous statue of the Holy Infant Jesus, also called the 'Santo Nino de Cebu' is enshrined in the Minor Basilica. The statue is believed to have been given as a gift by Magellan to the wife of the then Chief of the island, Rajah Humabon. Magellan who headed the first Spanish expedition to the island converted hundreds of natives to Christianity within a week of his arrival on the island. Though he was killed a few weeks later, the statue of the Holy Infant remained on the island. Over a period of time, the natives came to realise the miraculous powers of the Holy Infant. In 1730 a Church was built by the Augustinian missionaries and the Holy Infant was placed in the Church on January 16, 1740 among great festivities which are observed every year since then. Pope Paul VI granted a Canonical Coronation of the statue on 28 April 1965 and later raised the Shrine to the status of Minor Basilica on 2 May 1965 to mark the fourth centenary of Christianity in the Philippine Islands. The annual dancing feast of Sinulog is held every January on the third Sunday in its honor. The feast, locally known as Fiesta Señor, starts on the Thursday after the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. The celebrations begin with a procession of the Santo Niño de Cebú in the streets. It is then followed by the novena Masses, which span nine days.

History and Legend:

The history of the Holy Infant dates back to the discovery of the islands by Ferdinand Magellan, a native of Portugal who discovered the Philippines on March 16, 1521. They landed on the island after getting the permission of the Chief of the island, Rajah Humabon. Soon Magellan began to propagate the Christian faith on the island. He was successful as hundreds of the natives were converted to Christianity by receiving the Sacrament of Baptism within one week of his arrival on the island. Among those converted were the Chief Rajah Humabon and his wife. Magellan is believed to have presented the carved wooden image of the Child Jesus to the wife of Humabon as a gift.

Magellan soon got entangled in the politics of the island and tried to force all the Chiefs of Cebu to recognise Rajah Humabon as the leader of all the Chiefs. This was met with a lot of resistance and in the battle that followed Magellan was killed on April 27, 1521, just six weeks after his arrival in Phillippines. The remaining survivors of the expedition fled from the island and departed to Spain. After Magellan’s defeat and death, the image of the Holy Infant was seen among the natives as a pagan idol and disregarded.

But this was about to change when the natives noticed several miracles that came to be through the idol. Legend has it that the open palm of the Holy Infant was used to hold an oil lamp and that the lamp burned all night without being refilled. This was brought to the notice of all the villagers. Later people discovered that when the Holy Infant was placed in their fields and farms, their produce was kept safe from all harm and losses. During threatening typhoons, thunderstorms and floods, the people of the island began to pray before the Holy Infant and saw miracles. The miracles attributed to the Holy Infant were so many that they began calling the statue their ‘Bathala’ meaning ‘Supreme Being’.

In the meantime there were four more Spanish expeditions attempted on the islands between 1521 and 1542 but all failed. Later Philip II of Spain appointed an Augustinian friar Fr. Andres de Urdaneta, a noted cosmographer, to lead another expedition alongwith the military governor of the islands Don Miguel Lopez Legaspi. Their expedition arrived in Cebu on April 27 1565 and under a flag of truce they tried to negotiate for amicable relations but failed. In the ensuing battle, the Cebuans fled to the hills after burning the entire village. The next day one of the Legaspi soldiers Juan Camus discovered that one of the native huts was spared from the fire. Inside the hut he found the miraculous statue of the Holy Infant wrapped in cloth and kept within a box. This was recognised as a great miracle and the Holy Infant was entrusted to the Augustinian missionaries.

The Augustinian friars built the first church with nipa and bamboo in 1571. The transfer of the statue from the hut of its discovery to the new church marked the first Christian procession held in Philippines. The present day Church built with hewn stones was built in 1730 and the Holy Infant was placed in the Church on January 16, 1740 among great festivities which are observed every year since then. During the World War II the surrounding areas were heavily damaged by the American Bombings but the Church was miraculously kept safe. However, as a result of the nearby bombings, the statue is believed to have toppled over but was spared of any injury except a scratch to the face. An Augustinian friar rescued the image and it was held in the Redemptorist Church in Cebu City till the final liberation of the city in 1945.

The Image:

The image is believed to have been made in the 16th century Flemish sculpture. Standing on its bronze platform, which is embellished with pearls and bronze flowers, the statue stands a foot tall. Its hands are covered in gold colored gloves and its legs are covered in golden boots. The right hand is held high in a gesture of blessing whilst the left hand holds an orb on which there is a golden cross. A golden sceptre dangles from the right hand. Golden chains falling from the orb support three large diamonds donated by devotees. A golden crown was given by the former First Lady of Philippines Mrs. Leonila Garcia in 1965 during the fourth centenary celebrations of the discovery of the Holy Infant. Another golden crown was gifted by the Juan Carlos of Spain. The wardrobe of the Holy Infant is extensive with many jewelled vestments and capes. On festive occasions, the Holy Infant wears a belt on which large Spanish coins are arranged. Another ornament is the famous Toissone de Oro, the Golden Fleece, which was gifted by King Charles III in recognition of the miracles attributed to the Holy Infant. It is a necklace of gold with square cut diamonds, emeralds, garnets and rubies.

The clothing of the Holy Infant is changed twice a year by the members of the Confraternity of the Holy Child Jesus of Cebu. They are known as the Camareras and perform this ritual by first clothing the Holy Infant in 18-20 white garments made of costly fabrics and donated by devotees. When these are removed they are distributed as relics. A beautifully adorned vestment is placed on the figure before the eve of the feast day. On the feast day, the Holy Infant is taken around the city in procession. After the festivities are over, the robes are taken off in a ceremony called the Hubo meaning taking off. Another set of vestments are put on the Holy Infant and they remain till the next feast.

Feast and Devotion:

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. The annual dancing feast of Sinulog is held every January on the third Sunday in its honor. The feast, locally known as Fiesta Señor, starts on the Thursday after the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. The celebrations begin with a procession of the Holy Infant in the streets. It is then followed by the novena Masses, which span nine days. On the last day of the novena, another procession is held wherein the image of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebú is taken from its shrine and brought to the Basílica Menor. 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.

On the morning of the the day before 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 re-enactment 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 celebrated by bishops and priests. The grand Sinulog Festival is then held on the following Sunday. The festival officially ends on the Friday after the icon's feast day, and it is marked with the traditional Hubo (Cebuano, "undress") rite. During a Mass, the basilica's priests and sacristans ceremoniously and reverently strip the Santo Niño of its festal vestments and regalia.

There is a strict order of divesting the icon: first the crown is removed, followed by the orb and sceptre; then the cape; then the sash and tunic, and finally, the inner garments. The priest recites a short petition before each removal, which is marked with a festive drum roll. The priest then chants 'Christe exaudi nos' (Latin for “Christ, graciously hear us”). The priest then raises the icon for veneration, carefully dips it in a basin of scented water four times, and wipes it dry. He then dresses it in a plainer set of robes, and replaces the regalia in reverse order of divesture. Upon replacing each item, he intones a prayer and leads the congregation in singing the refrain of the 'Laudes Regiæ: Christus Vincit; Christus Regnat; Christus, Christus Imperat' (“Christ Conquers; Christ Reigns; Christ Commands”). Drum rolls then announce the moment as the insignia are worn. The Hubo Mass is held on the Friday following the feast day at the Pilgrim Center outside the Basilica, and the masses following generally mark the end of the long celebrations.