FIESTA SEÑOR: Fluvial, foot processions draw huge crowd

Local

FROM dawn until midday, the streets of Cebu City disappeared beneath a moving sea of devotion.

This, as nearly two million faithful walked shoulder to shoulder in the Sinulog 2026 Solemn Foot Procession on Saturday, Jan. 17.

Authorities estimated around 1.9 million devotees, more or less, joined the annual penitential walk honoring the Señor Sto. Niño, significantly higher than the 1.4 million recorded in 2025, according to city officials.

The procession stretched across a 5.5-kilometer route, spilling beyond major roads into sidewalks, intersections, and surrounding streets near the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu. Under the punishing midday sun, devotees pressed forward, many barefoot, clutching candles, towels, and images of the Holy Child.

Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak, head of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said crowd density reached its peak near the Basilica and key convergence points along the route.

The solemn foot procession is one of the most significant religious rites of the Fiesta Señor, symbolizing sacrifice and thanksgiving. It follows a sequence of major events, including the fluvial procession, the reenactment of historical moments marking the arrival of Christianity in Cebu, and earlier processional rites.

The massive turnout came amid weather uncertainty. Cebu woke up Saturday to crimson skies, a phenomenon long associated with incoming bad weather and summed up in the saying, “Red skies in the morning, sailor’s warning.”

Still, the threat of rain failed to dampen devotion.

Thousands of faithful from Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu cities gathered along the coastline earlier in the day to witness the Fluvial Procession, held on the eve of the Feast of the Holy Child.

This year’s fluvial procession featured more than 420 participating vessels, surpassing last year’s count.

Leading the waterborne parade was Lite Ferries 10, a roll-on/roll-off vessel from Cebu-based Lite Shipping Company, which served as the ceremonial Galleon.

As in previous years, the galleon carried the Sagrada Familia, bearing the images of St. Joseph the Worker, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the Señor Sto. Niño.(TGP)