MINGLANILLA town’s famed Sugat Kabanhawan Festival has returned to its old form, attracting at least 26,000 individuals on Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023.
The cultural-religious event, which reenacts the resurrection of Jesus Christ, had been canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic but returned in 2022 with a limited audience.
Mayor Rajiv Enad said on his Facebook page that the event was successful, adding that no untoward incidents happened.
“Spectacular costumes. Magnificent choreography. Jaw-dropping performances and superb overall production that could only come from Minglanilla, Cebu’s Sugat capital,” he said.
Enad said spectators started to arrive at Minglanilla’s open grounds as early as 5 p.m. Saturday, April 8, eight hours before the start of the performances at 1 a.m. Sunday.
Before the 2 a.m. Easter mass, the Minglanilla police already counted 17,000 people awaiting at the open grounds. The crowd grew even larger after the mass, which was celebrated by Msgr. Marnell Mejia of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish of Minglanilla.
It was around 3:45 a.m. when the crowd swelled to 26,000, according to Enad.
The mass was followed by the Sugat or the reenactment of Jesus Christ’s resurrection.
“Twelve holy images on beautifully decorated caros were presented on stage as part of the event,” said Enad, adding that at least 500 performers dressed as angels, with some being suspended up in the air.
Despite the large number of people who attended the celebration, the activities remained orderly.
The town’s Sugat Kabanhawan Festival continued in the afternoon Sunday.
The traditional street dancing competition began at 4 p.m., followed by the search for the town’s festival queen and the grand ritual showdown, respectively.
A grand fireworks display capped off the day full of festivities.
The festivities were revived last year, but to prevent crowding, the Municipality set a cap on the number of visitors, allowing only those who had obtained the tickets provided by the Municipality to participate.
It can be recalled that during the reenactment last year, the Municipal Government only allowed vaccinated individuals to attend.