Ati - Atihan Festival

Ati - Atihan Festival
Kalibo, Aklan, 13-19 January

The Ati-Atihan Festival commemorates the 13th century land deal between 10 migrating Bornean chieftains and the aboriginal Ati King Marikudo. It also honors the town patron, the infant Sto. Niño.

This is one of the Philippine festivals that, with its ceaseless and rhythmic pounding of drums, get to you and before you know it you find yourself shuffling your feet on the street, shaking your head and waving your hands. Its difficult to resist joining thousands of soot-blacked, gaily-costumed revelers in an ancient ritual of merriment. This is Kalibo, Aklan. "Viva, Sto. Niño!"

Ati-Atihan was originally a pagan festival. Missionaries gradually added Christian meaning. Today, Ati-Atihan is celenbrated in honor of the Christ Child, the Santo Niño. Three days of parades lead up to the main procession that starts in the church on Sunday afternoon. The parades are colorful and vibrant, much like the Mardi Gras carnival in Brazil.

No one is certain how Ati-Atihan started. One legend, however, says it dates back to the year 1212, when 10 datus, or patriarchal chiefs, and the companions fled from a tyrannical sultan in Sabah, Borneo, and landed on the island of Panay. Their leader, Datu Puti, traded with the chief of Panay, an Ati named Marikudo.Datu Puti exchanged gold and other gifts in return for the coastal lowlands. The bargain was sealed with a great feast and dancing during which the Borneans blackened their faces with soot to resembled the dark-skined Atis. Modern day celebrants of Ati-Atihan paint their faces and bodies with black soot to remember the Atis.

Ati-Atihan takes place at Kalibo in Panay in the second week of January, then at Ibajay and Makati one week later. To prepare for the festival, villagers make their own unique costumes and form groups to practice dances. Their costumes look either bizarre or regal. Anticipation builds up during the last few days of preparation and reaches an exciting climax on Friday, when the dancing and partying start.