A look into the real essence of Dinagyang
Dinagyang of today is Iloilo’s biggest festival, the mother of all festivals for the 42 towns, one component city and Iloilo City itself.
It boasts of world-class performances in cultural presentation and tribal competition with chants of “Viva Señor Santo Niño!”
Hail Señor Santo Niño. Glory be to Baby Jesus.
41 years ago today, the chants were louder albeit only from a small group of devout Ilonggo Catholics.
Headed by then San Jose Parish Priest Father Ambrocio Galindez O.S.A., then Iloilo City Mayor Reneirio Ticao, devotees of Señor Santo Niño banded to welcome a replica of the image of Señor Santo Niño de Cebu.
It was brought to Iloilo City by Father Sulpicio Enderes, O.S.A. with the Cofradia de Cebu. The Cofradia is a group of religious faithful who made the Church as extension of their lives.
The image to date is still enshrined at the San Jose Parish Church that led to the birth of Cofradia Del Santo Niño, Iloilo Chapter. With that, weekly Novena was held in the honor of Santo Niño.
That was 1968. A year later, the first San Jose Parish feast of Señor Santo Niño was celebrated with the culmination of the nine-day Novena in a fluvial procession.
From the Quirino – Lopez Bridge up to Fort San Pedro, a foot procession followed towards San Jose Parish. And to further highlight the feast, Kalibo’s champion tribe then, the “Black Beauty” and a runner-up tribe graced the occasion.
Thus the birth of a similar competition for Iloilo that was realized in 1970. Assembly point was at the Provincial Capitol passing the city’s main streets of Iznart and J.M. Basa then directly back to the San Jose Parish. Only Freedom Grandstand was the judging area with “Majapahit Tribe” of Compania Maritima as first champion.
To note, today’s Dinagyang, or particularly the highlight in tribal competition has an opposite route. Freedom Grandstand is only one of the staging areas too and the main reason for the celebration – Feast of Señor Santo Niño? Not anymore the center of preparations by the festival committee.
41 years later, Dinagyang has become an economic and tourism event. Even the image of Señor Santo Niño now has ‘competition’ in Dagoy the festival mascot.
The Cofradia though remained strong and united in celebrating the feast of Señor Santo Niño, chants as loud as it was before.
This Wednesday saw a re-enactment of the image’s replica by Catholic school students of San Jose. Sadly, not a single presence from today’s men and women behind the Dinagyang celebration.
Here’s more from the files of the Cofradia del Señor Santo Niño, Iloilo Chapter.
1971 – 1972 – 1973:
The participation of tribes became bigger and the acceptance of the public to the affair was spontaneous. The “Ma-mau” Tribe of Nenaco copped the 3-year contests consecutively.
1974:
Panaderia de Molo’s “The Last Warrior” tribe topped the contest during this year. It was invited by the former First Lady, Imelda Romualdez-Marcos to grace the “Kasaysayan ng Lahi” affair in Manila. Iloilo’s Ati-Atihan delegation was the biggest attraction among all regional participants nationwide.
1975 – 1976:
“Tribu Hamili” of Barangay General Hughes garnered the first places for two years. From the beginning up to this point of time, the Cofradia Del Santo Niño, San Jose Parish was the prime mover and managed the feast and the Ati-Atihan contest. Then during this year, then President Ferdinand Marcos declared it as Tourism Year and decreed that each province of the country will have a tourist attraction. This was then that the City of Iloilo had the feast of Señor Santo Niño with Iloilo’s version of Ati-Atihan its main attraction and tourism event. The management of the contest was turned over to the City Government with the celebration too big for the Cofradia to handle.
1977 to present:
Name “Ati-Atihan” for Iloilo’s celebration was changed to Dinagyang, a title coined by the late radio broadcaster Pacifico Sudario.
The Cofradia welcomes back today Father Galindez.
Now in his late 70s, he arrives to witness and be part once again of the real essence of Dinagyang – the feast of Señor Santo Niño.
(With reports from Dominador P. Rivera Jr. of the Cofradia Del Señor Santo Niño, Iloilo Chapter)