Friday, April 18, 2008
No Sinulog without Kaplag: priest
A CHURCH official urged the Catholic faithful to celebrate Kaplag next week and leave to historians the debate on where the image of the Sto. Niño was really found after it was spared from a fire centuries ago.
“For without Kaplag, there would be no Sinulog,” Fr. Trinidad Silva, pastor-moderator of San Nicolas Parish Team Ministry, said.
This year’s Kaplag, Cebuano for “discovery,” commemorates the 443rd anniversary of the discovery of the image of the Sto. Niño on Apr. 28, 1565 inside a hut.
Juan Camus, a soldier of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi’s fleet, was the one who discovered the icon.
Historic
“The day of the discovery equally deserves its rightful tribute as that of the Fiesta Senyor honored every third Sunday of January. What is there to celebrate if the historic April 28 episode did not happen at all?” said historian Fr. Arnel Dizon, OSA.
Silva said his parish is willing to coordinate with the Cebu City Government in encouraging more public participation in the observance of Kaplag.
“Where the Sto. Niño was found is not important for us at this point. Let the historians do their job. What is important is nakaplagan siya (he was found). He is with us, Cebuanos, for centuries,” he said.
This year’s celebration will open on April 24 with a 3 p.m. mass at the Magellan’s Cross and a procession of the image of the Holy Child from the Basilica del Sto. Niño to the Cebu Cathedral.
First Triduum masses will be held on Apr. 25 at the Basilica and a 5 p.m. mass at the Cathedral will be followed by a procession of the image from there to San Nicolas.
Tribute
The faithful will have the chance to pay tribute to the image through a concert at 8 p.m. The next day, at 6 p.m., there will be a fluvial to start at the Pasil Fishport to San Nicolas grounds
.
In the afternoon, there will be a tartanilla parade, a feast of dried fish and a mass at Taboan.
The image will leave the parish on Apr. 27 for the Basilica, where Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal will celebrate a mass on the feast day, Apr. 28.
Simultaneous with Kaplag celebration is the Kadaugan sa Mactan, a reenactment of the famous battle between Datu Lapu-Lapu and Portuguese conqueror Ferdinand Magellan.
“How I wish I could see that story connecting Kaplag and Kadaugan. What we have are separate celebrations. We could help historians for the benefit of our parishioners,” Silva said. (NRC)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 18, 2008 issue)
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