Originally published at Orange County Catholic
FILIPINO CATHOLICS in the Diocese of Orange celebrated Sinulog, or Santo Niño Festival, on Saturday, Jan. 18 at St. Pius V Catholic Church in Buena Park and Sunday, Jan. 19 at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange.
Santo Niño means “Holy Child” and refers to the sacred image of the infant Jesus Christ.
The tradition celebrates the birth of Catholicism in the Philippines more than 500 years ago when Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan offered an image of the Baby Jesus to Queen Juana after she and her husband, Rajah Humabon, King of Cebu, converted to Christianity.
In the Philippines, Sinulog is one of the largest annual cultural festivals, featuring special Masses, song and ritual prayer dances that accompany blessing of the Baby Jesus statues. It is also commonplace in many American parishes and dioceses with Filipino parishioners.
HOLY FAMILY PARISH IN ORANGE RECENTLY HELD ITS FIRST SANTO NIÑO CELEBRATION TO COMMEMORATE THE BIRTH OF CATHOLICISM IN THE PHILIPPINES. PHOTO COURTESY OF HOLY FAMILY PARISH
The population of Filipino Americans in California is about 1.6 million which accounts for about 38% of the entire Filipino American population in the United States.
Here in the Diocese of Orange, a nine-day Santo