'Sadsad sa Molo' on Sunday
Parishioners and devotees of Señor Sto. Niño in Molo district will once again gather to keep the spirit of the Little Child alive as they converge in the plaza on Sunday (January 21). This is the fourth year the parish has initiated its own version of manifesting its faith and devotion to the Holy Child. The celebration is dubbed as "Sadsad Sa Molo" with a theme "Sto. Nino, Iwag kag Dalangpan sang Panimalay."
St. Anne Parish parish priest Rev. Fr. Tomas Delicana said the "Sadsad in Molo" is a joint project of the Knights of Columbus and the parish. The celebration will start with an 8 a.m. mass to be held at the Molo temple. The mass will not be only attended by the parishioners but with the members of three competing tribes in this year's Dinagyang festival.
The three competing tribes which are from Molo district are Tribu Kalubihan, Parianon and Silak. Tribu Kalubihan won the best headdress and most unique awards in 2002. They got the award for the most unique costume award in 2005.
Tribu Silak was adjudged as best in street dancing and first runner-up in 2006. In 2005, the tribe was best in performance and choreography and champion in 2005.
Tribu Parianon, on the other hand,was adjudged as best in headdress and best in costume in Dinagyang 2006 competition. The tribe was also the 3rd runner-up in the open category in 2001 and placed 2nd in 2002. In the same year, Tribu Parianon also got the best music award. In 2004, they were the 1st runner up, best in costume, best in headdress and most unique awards. The following year, they were 3rd runner up and most colorful in Dinagyang 2005.
A two-feet tall Sto. Niño image donated by businessman Rolando Layson will also be processioned along with the other images brought by devotees. Layson has its own story to tell of the significance of Sto. Nino in his life.
After the mass, the devotees along with the three tribes will have a street dancing from the church vicinity until M.H. del Pilar, Molo. From M.H. Del Pilar, the merrymakers will go back to the church passing MH. Del Pilar and San Pedro Streets. The merrymakers will also be joined by different elementary schools and universities located in Molo district.
Fr. Delicana said after merrymaking or "sadsad", the the tribes and the merrymakers will return to the Molo basketball court for a blessing. Each tribe will be allowed to perform 10 minutes and then they will be blessed. There will also be blessings of Sto. Nino images.
In the evening, a concert will be held at the parish car park area. The band of the 3rd Infantry Division, Philippine Army and a reggae band will entertain the crowd, said Fr. Delicana.
Apart from the blessing of tribes and Sto. Niño images, there will also be a Sto. Nino look alike contest. Children aged 12 years old down can join in the contest. They should be garb in Sto. Niño garment probably made of indigenous materials.
It was in Fr. Delicana's assumption as parish priest of St. Anne Parish when Molo became active on the Sto. Niño celebration. The priest himself is a devotee of Sto. Niño. The saint played an important part of the Delicana family.
Fr. Delicana recalled that his late father would bring his Sto. Niño image and bathe him in one of the rivers in Calinog whenever he asked for rain for their rice field. We believed in the intercession of the saint.
Fr. Delicana said the celebration in Molo is not to compete with the celebration of the 2007 Dinagyang celebration but to propagate the devotion to Senior Sto. Niño without commercialism. Honoring the Little Child is one way to effectively gather the Filipino family and value its existence. Other than the merrymaking, masses for single parent, unborn child, street children and substance abused are offered.
Fr. Delicana said the activity is not to put Molo in the tourism map but to reflect its devotion to the saint. This activity will serve as an avenue for the members of the family to gather and be "a child-like," like the Senor Sto. Niño as they dance on the streets with the beating of the drums. Devotions to the saint is popular in the different parts of the country.
The parish priest envisioned that through the years, the celebration in Molo will become a family day and all of the parishioners will join in the celebration. The activity in Molo lasted until now and continue to improve because of the cooperation of the parishioners.