I No Longer Support Dinagyang
Posted by Rex | Under Uncategorized Thursday Jan 22, 2009I won’t be going out this Sunday to take photos of Dinagyang. Perhaps I will never do so again.
For the past years, I always looked forward to the days of the Dinagyang festival. During the tribe performances, I would run along with my humble point-and-shoot camera, squeezing my way into the crowd to take photos of the Dinagyang warriors. I took hundreds of photographs. Finding good angles and getting the right timing was difficult, but every detail and gesture seemed worthy to capture. I posted my photos in the internet and they made their way in several websites. It was my way of promoting Dinagyang. The premier festival of my city and one of the best in the country.
I was proud of it because the thundering performances were indeed a spectacle. I promoted it because I know it brings significant income and prestige to my city.
That was then. This year, and in the succeeding years, it will be different for me.
I long knew there was something wrong with Dinagyang. It is an overcommercialized religious activity. However, it is not the commercialization that strikes me. There is something very wrong with this religious practice. It is idolatry.
It is my belief that Dinagyang is a form of idolatry because it revolves around the worship of the Santo Niño. Doesn’t it? Of course the Santo Niño is just a representation of Jesus Christ, but only the invisible and intangible true God should be worshipped, and not any representation. That is my belief.
No Santo Niño deserves to be adored as if it was God Himself or as if God was in it. That is my belief. That’s why it saddens me to see people taking great pains to parade a Santo Niño and seeking healing by touching it or even just the glass box containing it. My fellowmen, God is in your heart if you let Him in, not in any man-made object. Again, that is my belief.
So why venerate a representation when God Himself is never too far away? Is God, as He is, not good enough?
In the first place, God should not be represented by a statue of any kind for He did say in the ten commandments:
Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; Thou shalt not bow down unto them, nor serve them. (Exodus 20:4-5)
That is my belief.
Will Dinagyang still be Dinagyang as we know it without the Santo Niño? Can’t we have Dinagyang wherein we simply proclaim the glory of Christ without any Santo Niño to represent Him? God, as He is, is enough.
As for me, I will no longer be promoting Dinagyang this year and in the years to come. Promoting it is like tolerating practices contrary to my faith. The picture above should be one of my last posted online. It’s about time to put my beliefs into action.
Popularity: 21% [?]
religion=true believers, science=skeptics
I also seeks to find some common ground upon which to construct mutual appreciation between science and religion.
If only many could remember the history of “Barong Tagalog”…
(Random) Are priests allowed to buy 50 inch flat screen Plasma TV? just kidding. A friend told me he knows a priest having one and he’s so jealous.. PEACE
Reply
Rex Reply:
January 23rd, 2009 at 9:46 am
Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, I can’t make out what you’re trying to say.
Reply
Now, I believe, Rex, that we have something in common! I’m always indifferent to people who idolize these figures.
I don’t believe that Dinagyang and some other fiestas live up to their very essence.
Just a quick thought, I just realized why my mother always wanted to pray, hear a mass and just be quiet during Christmas, New Year and on or birthdays. She mentioned that celebrations must always be about thanking God and praying to Him.
Reply
Rex Reply:
January 26th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Yes your mother is right. Sometimes we enjoy occasions too much we forget the real reason why we are celebrating it. Especially Christmas…
Reply
Man, by nature, wants something that is tangible, something to hold on to, to touch and to look on to! Short in saying, man is both a sensual being and spiritual, as well. There’s a delicate balance between the two elements one has to maintain. Just look back during the time of Moses when he returned to get the ten commandment tablets. Exactly the same scenario as in Dinagyang!
And mind you, in post-modern times such as ours, IDOLATRY is NOT just limited to graven images … it could be your career, money, family, car, house, computer, cellphone, TV or even oneself!
Yes, Rex, it’s probably possible to have Dinagyang without the Sto. Nino but it would be very difficulty because, in the first place, Dinagyang is a paganistic practice itself. Sometimes, I find myself in this kind of perplexing situation. Ah! my best guide is, what would Jesus say about this.
Rex, I wish we had ample time together, as much as I spent with Marcos and Jorp. Shame on my part, maybe in my next trip. Didn’t have the chance either to say thanks to you for your company and friendship. So, thank you Rex, even for this eye-opener post of yours about Dinagyang!
Reply
Rex Reply:
January 26th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
I very much agree that idolatry extends beyond graven images. It is anything that stands between you and God. If you consider anything more important than God, that is your idol. I think you have a very wise guide question there: “What would Jesus say about this?”
I think I should thank you more, Lee. Thanks for the treats and the very enriching conversations. Yes, there should be a next time!
Reply
[...] copyright. This time, Visayan Daily Headlines used my photo of Tribu Familia Sagrada on their Dinagyang issue without my permission! I really don’ understand why some media companies act this way. [...]