Sinulog sa Carmen 2015

Last January 25, I was able to witness (for the first time ever) Carmen town’s very own Sinulog. In case you guys haven’t heard yet, the town of Carmen holds its very own Sinulog celebration one week after the end of the festivities in Cebu City. Sinulog sa Carmen has been around for quite a while now. And in fact, it is now considered one of the largest in the whole island.

This year, to finally see it with my own eyes, and to support my good friend Alex of Tribu Lumad Basakanon, we traveled all the way to Carmen (and endured the heavy traffic) to witness one of the most colorful festivals this side of the island.

When we reached Carmen, we went straight to the town church to light some candles. We actually thought that it was Carmen’s annual fiesta. It turned out that the Sinulog is a non-fiesta event.

Here’s the facade of Carmen’s new town church. The Saint Augustine Parish Church is still currently being finished.

Church interior as of January 2015. Looking great, so far.

The main altar now looks really gorgeous, though.

This reminds me of Guadalupe’s dome.

After dropping by the church, we checked out the town plaza. I couldn’t believe that the plaza now has a lot of interesting features. This little mermaid statue, for example, which is located a few meters off the promenade, is a photo-op favorite.

And this huge floating text is a pretty creative campaign material.

But most of all, I wasn’t prepared for this. Aside from a roofed sports gym, Carmen now has a nice-looking grandstand.

And their Sinulog stage is AS BIG as Cebu City’s stage at the Cebu City Sports Complex. Wow!

Take a look at their modern grandstand. To the mayor, or whoever made all of these possible, good job!

The crowd is all set for the performances.

Alex of Tribu Lumad Basakanon poses with my mom and work friends Cring and Dante.

Pretty great turn-out, I must say. Congratulations, Carmen! (Click photo to enlarge)

More and more people arrived as the afternoon wore on.

Most contingents are from local barangay. However, some contingents come all the way from Cebu City.

The next time you’re somewhere near around the end of January, be sure to check out Carmen’s Sinulog!

Pit Senyor!