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Heightened religious activities to mark 2017 Dinagyang Festival
By Perla G. Lena

ILOILO CITY, Dec. 14 (PNA) -- Religious activities in line with the celebration of the 2017 Dinagyang Festival will be more heightened as they usher the golden year of the festival.

Rev. Fr. Edsel Raymund Alcayaga, parish priest of San Jose and in-charge of the liturgical committee, said that 2017 also leads to the 50th year of the arrival of the image of Señor Santo Niño that heralded the festivity and later on has evolved to become the Dinagyang Festival.

“In 1968, the image was brought here and a merrymaking was held to honor him. It was later adopted by the city government and evolved later into Dinagyang Festival,” he explained.

The wooden image is currently enshrined at the side altar of the San Jose church.

To boost its promotion, Alcayaga said that they will no longer invite a pilgrim image from Cebu, which used to be the practice every Dinagyang time.

Also, a mini-“sadsad” or merrymaking will form part of the daily 5:30 p.m. novena masses that will kick off January 11 until 19, 2017. Before only one “sadsad” was held in the afternoon of the Kasadyahan Festival.

Meanwhile, Eden Deriada, who heads the Kasadyahan committee said that they are expecting 10 performing groups on January 21, 2017. Five of them are come-backing groups, she said.

The tribes include Tribu Tatusan of Caluya, Antique; Tribu Haw-as of Dumangas, Tribu Salakayan of Miagao and Tribu Tultugan of Maasin, Pintados de Pasi of Passi City all in Iloilo province; Tribu Patabang of Tapaz, Capiz; Hubon Binagtong sa Manggahan of Cabalagnan National High School, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras; and another group from Murcia.

MassKara Festival will join as non-competing group, she said.

Kasadyahan Festival gathers champion festivals of various local government units in Western Visayas and neighboring Negros Occidental highlighting their religious and cultural celebration. (PNA)

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