Sinulog Festival 2020 in Jimalalud

Jimalalud – Negros Oriental

The Sinulog Festival 2020 in Jimalalud is the first festival celebrated in the province of Negros Oriental for this year. The street dancing and showdown competition was held last January 13, 2020. In honor of Sto. Niño (Child Jesus), the patron saint of Jimalalud, the town fiesta lasted from January 03-15, 2020.

Sinulog – A Brief History

Sinulog Festival is a ritual dance in honor of the miraculous Sto. Niño or Child Jesus. In Jimalalud, the festival is celebrated in the month of January as a thanksgiving ceremony for all the bountiful harvest and the prosperity of the town. Over the years, there has been more than a hundred different versions of the Sinulog Festival all over the Philippines. The most famous Sinulog Festival is from Cebu City.

Sinulog Festival 2020
Street Dancing & Showdown

The street dancing parade of the Sinulog Festival started at noon. Despite the heat of the sun, a lot of people blocked the streets and the main highway just to witness this year’s festivity. There were 10 groups participating in this year’s competition under the children’s category and 5 groups in the high school category.

Sinulog Festival 2020 - Jimalalud - Street Dancing

Colors of red, green, blue, purple and yellow flooded the streets as the different festival queens raised their Sto. Niño statues. Sinulog is a festival celebrated by devoted Christians. Jimalalud, being a very religious town, takes pride in celebrating this festival in the best possible way.

After the street dancing parade, people started gathering up at the covered court where the showdown was held. With the heavy beat of the drums and the sweet melody of the flutes, the performers started to dance. The different contingents had their own storyline to showcase. With dramatic effects and great facial expressions, the Sinulog Festival 2020 in Jimalalud just blew the roof off.