Cebuanos are the kings and queens of celebrations indeed.
To celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Minglanilla LGU finally announces the return of the Sugat-Kabanhawan Festival. The city’s local government unit has an array of exciting activities planned for the said festival.
Like Cebu City’s festival, Sugat coincides with a religious event. Sinulog is celebrated on the feast of the Sto. Niño, while the Kabanhawan festival occurs at the end of Holy Week.
The festival is said to have been introduced by the Spaniards in 1889.
The earliest versions of the celebration consisted of Minglahanons slaughtering water buffaloes equal to the number of children playing the angels in the re-enactment. This practice stopped when the number of buffaloes decreased.
The Sugat Kabanhawan Festival (sometimes called the Kabanhawan Festival) can be considered Minglanilla’s very own Sinulog. It blends several church activities like masses and foot processions with social engagements like parades and beauty pageants.
This primarily religious celebration hosts a series of activities and presentations to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Day.
The re-enactment of the meeting between Mother Mary and the Risen Christ is the main highlight. Jam-packed with complex stunt work and impressive performances, you will definitely not find this in any other Philippine festivals.
One of the scenes is the battle between the Archangel Michael and Lucifer – depicted as a dark eagle.The most notable role, though, are the Angels, played adorably by a number of child volunteers.
The performers also consist of numerous props men who push large contraptions or carry important narrative set pieces. Dancers spin fire poi and blow torches to bring some heat to the performance.
The re-enactment concludes with an actor dressed up as Jesus Christ, standing atop a high platform above the stage – implying His resurrection into heaven.
The festivities continue into the morning as contingents from around Cebu perform their street dance routines during a street parade on the National Highway. The festival ends with the Ritual Showdown performed at the sports complex.
A beauty pageant for the Festival Queen is also held a few days before the re-enactment.
