Cebu to mark '2nd feast' of Sto Niño

MANILA, Philippines - Residents of Cebu City will mark the feast of the Santo Niño (Christ Child) a second time this year with the feast of "Kaplag" on April 28. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said "Kaplag" commemorates the discovery of the image of the Sto. Niño in a nipa hut in Cebu on April 28, 1565. Kaplag 2008 features a series of religious and cultural activities celebrating the discovery from this Thursday, April 24, to Monday next week. Augustinian Fathers from the Basilica del Sto. Niño will hold a concelebrated Mass at Magellan's Cross at 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, to begin this year's five-day Kaplag Festival. Cebu archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal will preside over the concelebrated Mass on April 24. Another concelebrated Mass led by Bishop Emilio Bataclan at 5:30 p.m. of the same day. Following the mass will be a grand procession of the miraculous image of Señor Santo Niño from its Basilica to the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral will immediately follow. Another highlight is a re-enactment of the discovery of the miraculous image of the Sto. Niño, with the participation of the Confradia del Santo Niño, the San Diego Dance Company and mandated organizations of the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino. Basilica del Santo Niño organizers intend to "gradually work out the establishment of the Kaplag day as a major religious-cultural-historical event in the life of Cebuano and Filipinos particularly its millions of devotees," said Fr. Arnel Dizon. For its part, the San Nicholas del Tolentino Parish will also celebrate its version of Kaplag on April 25 in time for the celebration of its 425th jubilee anniversary as a parish. Fr. Trinidad Silva, the parish team moderator, has set aside the claim of the parish as the original site of discovery of the miraculous image. Religious and cultural activities to commemorate the event such as the re-enactment of the arrival of Magellan and Miguel Lopez de Legaspi have been lined up. Cultural activities including the Tartanilla (carriage) Parade and Buwad (dried fish) Festival will also be held. The image, discovered in a nipa hut in Cebu by a soldier from the fleet of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi on April 28, 1565, is believed to have been a gift from Ferdinand Magellan to Queen Lisabeta, wife of Rajah Humabon after her baptism where she was named Queen Juana. - GMANews.TV