Philippine Christian Holy Figure: "Santo Niño"

The Santo Niño de Cebú, Spanish for "Holy Child of Cebú," is a Roman Catholic figure of the Child Jesus in the Philippines and several other countries colonized by Spain. The statuette of the Child Jesus is depicted as king dressed like Spanish royalty, clothed in expensive textile robes mostly donations from fervent devotees in the Philippines and abroad.

Tradition says that the women of the Spanish city of Atocha appealed to Our Lady of Atocha to help them feed their imprisoned husbands. An unknown child appeared wearing pilgrim’s clothing and carrying a basket of food and a gourd of water. After the child gave food and water to the prisoners, his basket and gourd miraculously remained full. Those who had asked the Virgin of Atocha for a miracle suspected the identity of the little boy as the child Jesus. The Santo Niño de Atocha is the patron saint of those unjustly imprisoned, protector of travelers, and rescuer of those in peril. The Spaniards brought their devotion to Santo Niño with them when they colonized the Philippines.

The Christian faith is based on the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus or Christ. Jesus, (7–2 BC/BCE – 30–36 AD/CE), is the central figure of Christianity. Most Christian denominations venerate him as God the Son.

The principal sources of information regarding Jesus are the four canonical gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The gospels declare that Jesus was a Jew born in Bethlehem, in the Roman province of Judea. At the age of 30, he began to preach throughout Palestine, which was then under Roman rule. The gospels describe miracles that Jesus performed such as raising the dead.

Most critical historians agree that Jesus was a Jew who was regarded as a teacher and healer. He was crucified in Jerusalem, on the orders of the Roman Prefect of Judaea, on the charge of sedition against the Roman Empire. Christians believe that Jesus then rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, from which he will return.

The Portuguese explorer Magellan left a Santo Niño figure with the Philippine queen when he landed there briefly. During the 44 years before the Spanish colonized the Philippines, the Santo Niño was revered as an indigenous deity and used in rituals to request abundant harvests, cures of the sick, and protection against enemies. The Philippines celebrates an annual festival of the Santo Niño. Filipino American Catholic churches display statues of the Santo Niño and sponsor celebrations in its honor.
Source:
Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition) Villero, Ofelia O. "Santo Niño Festival." Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife. Ed. Jonathan H. X. Lee and Kathleen M. Nadeau. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2011. 405-406. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 1 July 2013. Document URL http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.lapl.org/ps/i.do?id=GALE|CX3301000205&v=2.1&u=lapl&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santo_Niño_de_Cebú