Basilica of the Holy Child (Spanish: Basílica Menor del Santo Niño; Italian: Basilica Minore del Santo Bambino) is a minor basilica in Cebu City in the Philippines that was founded in the 16th century. It is the oldest Roman Catholic church established in the country, purportedly built on the spot where the image of the Santo Niño de Cebú, a statue depicting the Holy Child Jesus was found in 1565 by Spanish explorers led by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. The image is the same statue given by Ferdinand Magellan to the wife of Rajah Humabon as a gift over forty years before after Humabon's baptism to Christianity
on April 14, 1521. It was found by a soldier preserved in a burnt
wooden box after Legazpi razed the village of hostile natives.[1]
The present building, which was completed from 1739-1740, has been the sanctuary of the oldest religious image in the country ever since
Magellan's Cross is a Christian cross planted by Portuguese, and Spanish explorers as ordered by Ferdinand Magellan upon arriving in Cebu
Built in 1972, the
Cebu Taoist Temple is located in Beverly Hills Subdivision in
Cebu City, Philippines. The temple was built by
Cebu's substantial
[1] Chinese
community. With an elevation of 300 meters above sea level, the temple
is a towering, multi-tiered, multi-hued attraction accessible by three
separate winding routes.
Unlike the neighboring Phu Sian Temple,
[2] the
Taoist
temple is open to the worshipers and non-worshipers alike. A ritual
among devotees is where one prays to the gods to grant one's wish. The
ritual includes washing of hands, going inside the chapel barefoot and
dropping two blocks of wood. If the blocks of wood are both face up then
one could make a wish. If not then it is not yet the time for one's
wish to be granted and one has to come to the temple some other time.
The temple is the center of worship for
Taoism, the religion which follows the teachings of the ancient Chinese philosopher,
Lao Zi. Another ritual among Taoist devotees, which is done during Wednesdays and Sundays,
[3]
is the climbing of its 81 steps (representing the 81 chapters of Taoism
scriptures) to light joss sticks and have their fortune read by the
monks.
Some guide books and travel agencies offer trips to the temple or as a
side-trip in a tour around Cebu City. But it is more popular with grade
school students. No student who grew up in Cebu City or the neighboring
Mandaue City has not gone to the temple in any one of their field trips.
The entrance to the temple is a replica of the
Great Wall of China.
The temple includes a chapel, a library, a souvenir shop and a wishing
well. The spacious balconies offer a scenic view of the downtown
Cebu.
The Chocolate Hills is an unusual geological formation in Bohol, Philippines.[1]
It is composed of around 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills of about
the same size, spread over an area of more than 50 kilometers². They
are covered in green grass that turns brown during the dry season,
hence the name.
One of the main attractions of Bohol in the Philippines is the Loboc River and its Floating Restaurants. Loboc River is also known as Loay River, situated in Poblacion Ondol, Loboc, Bohol and is 15-20 minutes away from the Blood Compact Site. The long Loboc River
is a host to many small bancas and floating restaurants. Visitors, both
locals and foreigners are treated with utmost care and foods being
served are mainly Filipino cuisine
Basilica of the Holy Child (Spanish: Basílica Menor del Santo Niño; Italian: Basilica Minore del Santo Bambino) is a minor basilica in Cebu City in the Philippines that was founded in the 16th century. It is the oldest Roman Catholic church established in the country, purportedly built on the spot where the image of the Santo Niño de Cebú, a statue depicting the Holy Child Jesus was found in 1565 by Spanish explorers led by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. The image is the same statue given by Ferdinand Magellan to the wife of Rajah Humabon as a gift over forty years before after Humabon's baptism to Christianity
on April 14, 1521. It was found by a soldier preserved in a burnt
wooden box after Legazpi razed the village of hostile natives.[1]
Magellan's Cross is a Christian cross planted by Portuguese, and Spanish explorers as ordered by Ferdinand Magellan upon arriving in Cebu
Back to Manila after a busy stay in Sulat. This is the time wherein papa and mama can relax. Sulat is relaxing for them too, but since there are always visitors coming, or invitations to go to, sometimes vacation tend to be overloaded too. In Manila its just mostly us family. We bond by like going to the malls, eating out, or just being home.
Going out is another thing we enjoy when papa and mama are in the city. Its been a habit for cousins to treat them out to dinner. We also make it a point to dine out just us family. We tried Cookbook in Eastwood. Also since papa was craving for a thai food, we brought him to Banana leaf in podium. We also made it a point to let them have their cravings for filipino food like halo halo, laing, bananacue etc. While papa is into food, mama would be fine with shopping. This stay in Manila I guess brought pleasure to them.
We ended the reunion late afternoon..we do not want our oldies and the kids to get colds. I guess everyone enjoyed the gathering..afterall the best party is if its with your loved ones.
