I was in Cebu with my college friends last week, and while everyone was taking a sleep from the previous night's party, I dragged myself to visit the oldest street in the country - Coron. My main intention was to go to Basilica of Sto Ninyo which is the oldest church in the country and houses the first child Jesus statue given by Magellan to Queen Juana in 1521.
I've been to the Basilica before when I was in high school, and I actually saw the Sto Ninyo statue. Instead of going there directly, I saw a rather new church so I checked it as well.
The crowd was getting thicker as I ventured further. Finally, I arrived at my target destination and believe me, it's impossible to get in because the crowd was very thick. People were everywhere! I won't be able to distinguish the sweat of the people around me from my own because we were tightly packed together.
I would usually be very irritated, but I'm in Cebu! And how often will you be able to experience this kind of stuff? If Manila has the Black Nazarene feast in Quiapo, Cebu has "Viva Pit Senyo!" I asked one of the locals what Viva Pit Senyor means, but even she doesn't know. Maybe it means "long live little king!"
When visiting Cebu during Sinulog, people often go directly to the beaches or to the street party in Mango Avenue. To really experience the heart of the Philippines' Queen City of the South, a trip to Coron St. is definitely a must! It sure is a struggle to squeeze your way through the crowd, but this is where the action took place almost 500 years ago! And it's unbelievable that the same core of the tradition is still being exercised now.
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