Popular Religiosity and the Transnational Journey: Inscribing Filipino Identity in the<i>Santo Niño</i>Fiesta in New Zealand

Abstract

Catholic diasporic populations often carry their icons and customary modes of devotion with them. Among New Zealand's secular society, some migrant communities display their religion publicly through processions, fiestas and festivals. The present article explores the role of religion in the Filipino diaspora. I focus on the celebration of the Cebuano Santo Niño–Sinulog fiesta in New Zealand and examine how Filipino cultural forms of expression connect and mix notions of homeland, family, home, sacred domain, identity and transnational settlement. By examining the fiesta and its structure of power relationships, I explore the metaphoric interface between two homes in the diasporic consciousness and the significant role of sacred symbols in aiding and facilitating the maintenance of imagined ‘Filipino’ identity in a foreign land.