ILOILO CITY -- Revelers of the 2023 Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo City have not forgotten to honor the Santo Niño (Holy Child Jesus).
This was manifested by the thousands of devotees who showed up on Friday afternoon, Jan. 20, and joined the fluvial and foot procession, one of the main highlights of the festival that staged a comeback after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The fluvial procession started from Fort San Pedro, made its way along the Iloilo Strait and ended along Muelle Loney Street, where the Santo Niño was disembarked.
The devotees then joined a foot procession that traversed along the major streets of downtown before ending at the San Jose Parish Church, where a mass was held.
Dinagyang festival had its roots late in 1968 when an Augustinian priest gave a replica image of the Santo Niño de Cebu to a fellow Augustinian priest in Iloilo as a birthday gift.
From weekly masses, organizers infused the Ati-Atihan Festival of Kalibo, Aklan province, which is a four-hour drive from Iloilo City.
But over the years, the Dinagyang became synonymous with choreographed performances and other commercial events.
Somehow, this has saddened church officials that many seem to have forgotten Dinagyang's religious roots.