If you’re planning on traveling to the Philippines early in the new year, you’ll want to make sure to catch the Ati Atihan Festival in Kalibo. This week long celebration of the Santo Nino (or Infant Jesus) is characterized by dancing, music, costumes, and parades. The celebration dates back to the 1200s, when Malay chieftains fled Borneo and settled in the Philippines. The Malay chieftains, called the Datus, bought an area of plains from the Ati tribe, and the two groups celebrated and feasted. Later, when the Ati people were in need of food following a bad harvest, they sang and danced for the Datus in return for food and gifts. This became a yearly ritual, and at some point, in the spirit of friendship, the Datus began to join in the singing and dancing, imitating the Ati people. The festival’s name, Ati Atihan, means “make-believe Atis”, and this is what Ati Atihan celebrants do – their costumes and face paint are meant to imitate the Ati people. This once pagan celebration was adapted by Spanish missionaries and now has Christian overtones. It was the missionaries who added the dedication to Santo Nino to the celebration .
Ati Atihan is essentially a block party that lasts for an entire week. Revelers paint their faces using black soot and dress in wild, colorful costumes. The Philippine government sponsors dances and people attend masses dedicated to Santo Nino. The opening mass begins with a procession that includes drumbeats and dancing, and the second day of the festival begins with a rosary procession at dawn. Other events during the festival week include a food festival, small parades, and historical reenactments.
The final three days of the festival are said to be the most exciting time. Tourists have found that Ati Atihan is something worth seeing, and people wishing to celebrate arrive throughout the week. As the festival builds up to its climax in the final days, more and more people arrive to stay in hotels, private residences, public buildings, and even tents on the beach. By the weekend, there are usually no available accommodations left. The last day of the event, a Sunday, is marked by the transfer of a Christ child statue from the Kalibo Cathedral to Pastrana Park. There is a mass at the park, followed by a huge nighttime parade. Celebrants carry carvings of the Christ child and bamboo torches during the procession.
The Ati Atihan festival in Kalibo is so popular that it has sparked the creation of similar festivals throughout the Philippines. Iloilo’s Dinagyang Festival, Cebu’s Sinulog, and Antique’s Binirayan and Handugan Festivals all bear a marked resemblance to Ati Atihan. This year’s Ati Atihan festival will take place between January 13th and January 20th, so if you will be traveling to this part of the world, consider stopping by to see the festivities!
