Sunday January 21, 2024

January 21, 2024, Sunday. I went downstairs to throw out some  garbage when beyond the iron gate. I could see only heads and shoulders flickering beyond the iron bars, above them the Santo Nino swaying back and forth. All wore red shirts, many carrying musical instruments, all soaking wet.

It's called "Salibanda" meaning saliw-to dance swaying side to side, and banda-the band. Essentially dancing with the band. Salibanda is what it is called in Paete celebrated every Sunday in January and it coincides with Sinulog in Cebu celebrated on the third Sunday of January. Chronologically after Christmas the newborn infant is celebrated and invoked for the New Year. Thus the Santo Nino.

Water blessings. I followed the tail end of the procession, keeping my distance to stay dry. Just a few meters ahead Barangay #2 Matoong had prepared a blessing. What resembled a long fire hose powered by a motorized pump. Waiting for the processioners to pass so as not hose them directly, buy softly with an arc of water. It was after all, a procession fiesta not a demonstration.

I  stood behind the hose man holding the brass nozzle. He sent the arc of water about twenty meters away and three stories high targeting the center of the Santo Nino and the pole bearers. The water spread as it came down in buckets. It was a lot of water. A lot of collateral blessings. He swivelled his aim scattering the blessing upon the band and those standing by. All celebrating the the downpour in a colorful koatic frenzy of joy.