The Hermeneutics for Señor Santo Niño’s “Hubo” or Divestment

This study provided an in depth interpretations of the Hubo ritual forSeñor Santo Niño deCebu. To provide this, the following objectives are raised: trace the history and ritual of the Hubo,describe the meaning of Hubo in the perspective of the church, and extrapolate the significance andgraces received of the Hubo by the devotees. The study utilized descriptive-qualitative research method inthe form of grounded theory through convenience sampling through interviews of devotees by means ofinterview questions, and data mining. The Hubo has its roots long since the acquisition of the image ofSanto Niño by Queen Humamay or Juana from the Spanish, and continued by the Augustinian priests-theritual of bathing and undressing and redressing the image was done privately up until the 1990s when thepractice was made public. For the church, the Huboritual signified parental care, obedience, humility, conversion, newness, and cleansing; for the devotees, the Hubo ritual, and the attending of such, showeddevotion, spiritual quenching and sustenance,  understanding; this ritual also allowed for the channellingof requests and prayers, and the invocation of protection and guidance from God, and tolerated for therealization of requests and prayers. Further, for the devotees, upon attendance of the Hubo mass gracedthem health, safety, guidance, and success, which were truly given realization by the Holy Child orBalaang Bata as most Cebuano’s dubbed Him. The Hubo ritual rested its roots in the very beginning of the Christianization of the Philippines-from the first baptism and the acquisition of the image of SantoNiño by Queen Juana, and continued by the Augustinian priests in which the ritual was done privatelyuntil the 1990s. The ritual implied parental care, obedience, humility, conversion, newness, and cleansing; the attendance of such presaged devotion, thanksgiving, understanding, request and prayer.

Keywords: Hubo, Santo Niño, Sinulog, interpretation, hermeneutics