Glorifying the Holy Child is Kaplag theme this year

CEBU, Philippines - This year’s Kaplag celebration calls for unity in honoring and glorifying the Holy Child Jesus, Señor Sto. Niño, who is the main focus of the celebration.

“Let us all get united in honoring Senior Santo Nino, let our activities be directed to one direction —to glorify and honor Señor Sto. Niño, after all we are all Christians,” said Fr. Jonas Mejares, OSA, the rector of the Basilica del Sto. Niño.

There will be a Eucharistic celebration at 5:30 this afternoon at the Pilgrim Center of the basilica. This will be followed by a mini-concert by the multi-awarded University of the Visayas Chorale and Mejares will be singing along with them.

Right after the concert is the reenactment of the finding of the image of the Sto. Niño to be performed by the San Diego dancers followed by the Sinulog offering by the Basilica Candle Vendors Association, Cofradia del Sto. Niño and then the traditional religious Sinulog by all groups and devotees. It will be capped by a fireworks display.

Meanwhile, the San Nicolas Parish will be having a fluvial procession at 6 a.m. today which will start from Ludo Wharf and will end at the Pasil Fish Port, where the reenactment of the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan will happen at 6:30 am.

Two boats and ten bancas that will be joining the fluvial procession which already has a permit from the Cebu Coast Guard.

A parade around Pasil will follow ending in the San Nicolas Parish and at 8 a.m. will be the reenactment of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi’s arrival and Kaplag of Sto. Niño at the San Nicolas grounds.

There will also be a Sinulog offering from invited Kaplag Sinulog contingents right after the enthronement of Sto. Niño image.

At 2:30 in the afternoon, there will be a street dancing around San Nicolas which features 12 contingents of the Kaplag Buwad Festival Grand Mardi Gras.

At 3 p.m. is the Tartanilla Parade, which will be featuring over 40 tartanillas carrying the image of the Holy Child and the presidents and officials of the different chapels of San Nicolas.

On board a tartanilla, Msgr. Trinidad Silva will bless all the Sto. Niño images of the different households placed outside their houses.

It will be followed by the Buwad Festival at Taboan followed by the Kaplag concelebrated Mass and the blessing of the Taboan market. —/BRP (FREEMAN)