The Sto Niño: Wandering boy from the lost district

MANILA, Philippines – The image has become an icon. The Sto Niño, revered as the Child-Jesus, the wandering boy from the lost district of Atocha in 14th century Spain, has become an integral part of Filipino religiosity and folk piety. It shares our public space and occupies a space in our spiritual psyche.

The Department of Tourism has listed month-long festivals dedicated to the Sto Niño, including Aklan’s Ati-Atihan, Cebu’s Sinulog, and Tondo’s Lakbayaw, as well as town fiestas in Bulacan, Malabon, Laguna, Cavite, Tacloban, Davao, and Batanes, among others.

The Sto Niño has long been part of the lives of Filipinos since it was first brought to the country some 4 centuries ago by the Spaniards.

For some, the Sto Niño is their source of livelihood. For others, it is an integral part of their place of work, where they make a living, so to speak.

Cesar Barro, a 45-year-old PWD, sells miniature ceramic replicas of the Sto Niño, through which, he has been able to support himself for some 10 years now.

On the other hand, cousins Criselda Pillija, Cheryl Andaya, and Marisol Rialo, all young wives and mothers, have a Sto Niño altar on their street stall-cum-sari-sari store-cum-carinderia. They say it brings them good luck.

Fr Russel Ocampo, parochial vicar of the Sto Niño de Tondo Church, said, “We have the image of the Sto Niño because we are reminded by God that he once was the Child-Jesus, who lived in simplicity and humility. The Sto Niño also reminds us to always have the heart of a child, pure and forgiving.”

However, the Sto Niño is still seen by many as a good luck charm in business establishments, public markets, and street stalls, or as an amulet of protection on the dashboard altars of jeepneys, buses, and tricycles.

From the original pilgrim’s garb, statues of the Sto Niño have been incarnated in various vestments: it is sometimes seen as a policeman in full regalia, or as a worker clad in a jump suit, or as a raggedly dressed palaboy, an obvious reference to the origins of the icon as a wandering boy.

Search for miracles

Perhaps, the belief is rooted not only in our folk traditions but also in the origins of the Sto Niño itself. It is said that when Spain was under the Moors, a wandering boy from Atocha was giving food to Spanish prisoners. Nobody knew the boy. Until one faithful noticed that the pilgrim’s boots on the statue of the Child-Jesus had strangely become tattered. People concluded that the wandering boy was the Child-Jesus, and a miracle had happened.

Perhaps, people are still looking for their own little miracles.

Cesar, a self-confessed devotee of the Sto Niño, said he prays that he will one day be reunited with his estranged father – a US Navy serviceman – his mother, and sister, who are all now living in the United States.

Meanwhile, the 3 cousins, Criselda, Cheryl, and Marisol, devotees of the Sto Niño even when they were still in Masbate, pray they will continue to be given good fortune to help them support their families.

“What is important in devotion is prayer. When we go to the Sto Niño, we go there to pray,” said Fr Russel. – Rappler.com