Documentary Photography

The Sinulog festival is one of the grandest and most colorful festivals in

the Philippines with a very Rich history. The main festival is held each year on

the third Sunday of January in Cebu City to honor the Santo Niño, or the child

Jesus, who used to be the patron saint of the whole province of Cebu (since in the Catholic faith Jesus is not a saint, but God). It is essentially a dance ritual which remembers the Filipino people’s

pagan past and their acceptance of Christianity.

Rooster fighting in the Philippines is called Sabong. There are illegal and

legal Rooster fights. Legal cockfights are held on cockpits every week. Illegal cockfights, called tupada or tigbakay, are held in secluded cockpits where the authorities would not be able to operate

raids. In both kind of cockfights, knives or gaffs are used. There are two

kinds of knives used in Philippine cockfighting. The single edge blade (use

in derbies) and double edged blades, lengths of knives also vary. All knives

are attached on the left leg of the rooster.

Sabong ( Rooster Fight )

The religious veneration of the Black Nazarene is rooted among Filipinos who

identify themselves with the Passion of Jesus Christ. Many

devotees of the Black Nazarene relate their poverty and daily struggles to

the wounds and tribulations experienced by Jesus, as represented by the image.

Although the patron saint of the basilica itself is Saint John The

Baptist, the Black Nazarene overwhelms it due to mass appeal. Devotees also pay homage by clapping their hands at the end of each mass offered at the

shrine.

Itim na nazareno ( Black nazarene )