The island of Cebu was the first island in Philippines to adopt Christianity. It is in this island that the miraculous statue of the Holy Infant Jesus, also called the 'Santo Nino de Cebu' is enshrined in the Minor Basilica. The statue is believed to have been given as a gift by Magellan to the wife of the then Chief of the island, Rajah Humabon. Magellan who headed the first Spanish expedition to the island converted hundreds of natives to Christianity within a week of his arrival on the island. Though he was killed a few weeks later, the statue of the Holy Infant remained on the island. Over a period of time, the natives came to realise the miraculous powers of the Holy Infant. In 1730 a Church was built by the Augustinian missionaries and the Holy Infant was placed in the Church on January 16, 1740 among great festivities which are observed every year since then. Pope Paul VI granted a Canonical Coronation of the statue on 28 April 1965 and later raised the Shrine to the status of Minor Basilica on 2 May 1965 to mark the fourth centenary of Christianity in the Philippine Islands. The annual dancing feast of Sinulog is held every January on the third Sunday in its honor. The feast, locally known as Fiesta Señor, starts on the Thursday after the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. The celebrations begin with a procession of the Santo Niño de Cebú in the streets. It is then followed by the novena Masses, which span nine days.
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