Members of the Turang Dance Troupe from Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City, performed the traditional Sinug prayer dance in front of the collapsed Archdiocesan Shrine of Sta. Rosa de Lima Church in Daanbantayan on Saturday, turning a centuries-old ritual into a heartfelt act of prayer amid tragedy.
The group joined the Mabolo local government unit’s relief mission to northern Cebu, where they offered the ritual dance to honor the souls of those who perished in the recent magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of northern Cebu on September 30.
As drums and chants echoed through the rubble, the dancers’ two-steps-forward, one-step-backward rhythm — a signature of the Sinug tradition — became a symbolic prayer for strength, healing, and protection for all Cebuanos, especially those in the hardest-hit areas such as Bogo City, San Remigio, Medellin, and Daanbantayan.
The Sinug, one of Cebu’s oldest forms of devotion to the Santo Niño, is traditionally performed as a petition for guidance and thanksgiving. In the wake of the devastating quake that claimed at least 72 lives and injured nearly 300 others, the dance has taken on deeper meaning for survivors seeking comfort in faith.
