Ati-Atihan Celebration

History of Ati-Atihan

The Ati-Atihan Festival is a feast held annually in January in honor of the Santo Niño (Infant Jesus), concluding on the third Sunday, in the island and town of Kalibo, Aklan in thePhilippines. The name "Ati-Atihan" means "to be like Aetas" or "make believe Ati's." Aetas were the primary settlers in the islands according to history books. They too are the earliest settlers of Panay Island where the province of Aklan is situated.

The festival consists of tribal dance, music, accompanied by indigenous costumes and weapons, and parade along the street. Christians, and non-Christians observe this day with religious processions. It has inspired many other Philippine Festivals including the Sinulog Festival of Cebu and Dinagyang of Iloilo, both adaptations of the Kalibo Ati-Atihan Festival.

A 13th century (c.1200 A.D.) event explains the origins of the festival. A group of 10 Malay chieftains called Datus, fleeing from the island of Borneo settled in the Philippines, and were granted settlement by the Ati people, the tribes of Panay Island. Datu Puti, Makatunaw's chief minister made a trade with the natives and bought the plains for a golden salakot, brass basins and bales of cloth. For the wife of the Ati chieftain, they gave a very long necklace. Feasting and festivities followed soon after.

Some time later, the Ati people were struggling with famine as the result of a bad harvest. They were forced to descend from their mountain village into the settlement below, to seek the generosity of the people who now lived there. The Datus obliged and gave them food. In return, the Ati danced and sang for them, grateful for the gifts they had been given.

The misoln was originally a pagan festival from this tribe practicing Animism, and their worshiping their anito god. Spanish missionaries gradually added a Christian meaning. Today, the Ati-Atihan is celebrated as a religious festival.

 Kalibo'sway of Celebrating the fiesta.

The people attend masses for the Santo Niño, and benefit dances sponsored by government organizations. The formal opening mass emphasizes the festival’s religious event. The procession begins with a rhythmic drumbeats, and dances parading along the street. The second day begins at dawn with a rosary procession, which ends with a community mass, and procession. The phrase "Hala Bira! Pwera Pasma!" is originally associated with the Sto. Nino Ati-Atihan Festival as the revelers and devotees keep on going with the festivities all over the town from morning to the wee hours of the next morning, rain or shine, for one week or even more. They believe that the miraculous Child Jesus will protect them from harm and illness. The highlight of the festival occurs on the last day, the third Sunday of January, when groups representing different tribes compete for tourists' attention and prizes. The festival ends with a procession of thousands of people carrying torches and different kinds of images of the Santo Niño. The contest winners are announced at a masquerade ball which officially ends the festival.

 Activities Before and during Ati-atihan.

Before

The town’s Pastrana Park, tens of thousands of local and foreign tourists are seen crisscrossing the main roads, dancing to the melodic tunes of lyres and drums with the Aklan locals who are joyfully carrying the statue of the Holy Child Jesus. 

The weeklong festivities (starting on the second week of January and culminating on the third Sunday every year) are celebrated with a mass and sadsad (procession), dashed with seemingly endless street dancing, live bands, and food festivals at the Pastrana and Magsaysay parks.  

9-DAY NOVEVA- Faithful pay homage for the Senor Santo Nino De Kalibo for a nine day devotional novena.

PAEAPAK-a unique age-old christian tradition where a catholic priest or a lay minister rubs all parts of a devotess body of the miraculous senor santo nino.

KALIBO ATI-ATIHAN TRADE FAIR- shop for premium quaiy akloanon products.

ATI-ATIHAN STREET BAZAAR.

KAEAN-AN SA PLAZA-a week-long food event thet offersa sumptous array of fast foods and culinary specialty.

HALA BIRA NIGHTS- never-ending excitement of snake dancing,revelry food and drinks with nighty concert by national and local bands.

PAGDAYAW KAY SENOR SANTO NINO- Students and teacers from different univesitys and colleges held their steet dancing parade.

SADSAD PANAAD- 'Sinaot sa Calle' of the students and teachers of Department of Education with their faces and bodies covered in soot.

HIGANTE CONTEST- A Parade of higantes and individual dressed in giant ecological tourism themed images. the most beautiful and impressive designed make there way in he kalibo ati-atihan festival.

DAWN PENITENTIAL PROCESSION

 TRIBAL, MODERN, BALIK-ATI AND INDIVIDUAL ATI-ATIHAN CONTEST.

HORNADA.

During:

TRANSFER OF SANO NINO, IMAGE AND PILGRIMS MASS.

RELIGIOUS PROCESSION AND DANCE

PAGPAGADUNGOG- The final and last hurrah of the week-long ati-atihan festival.

The Sayaw Ritual

The sayaw is therefore an act of appeasement to God and
thanksgiving for the Holy Child’s blessings.
The sayaw is a war-dance-verse-drama resembling the moromoro in its dramatization of the victory of the Christians over the
Muslim invaders. The text is said to have been written by Marianito
Dalisay Calizo in the mid-19th century. The Christian chieftain and
his men, in black costume and colorful accessories, gather in front of
the church. He exhorts them to remain steadfast in their devotion to
the Santo Niño, and the men chorus their vows of faithfulness.
Across the field, the Muslim leader and his men, dressed in red, vow
to attack the Christian settlement and take the Santo Niño image as
hostage.
Two ambassadors are sent by the Muslim chieftain to the Christian
settlement with the message that the people’s lives would be spared
in exchange for the image. The Christian chief refuses and a stylized
battle takes place, followed by a series of duels, each one preceded
by the combatants’ boasting of their fighting prowess. All Muslim
combatants are defeated and, finally, baptized.

Mutya and Lakan documentaries

Twenty-four finalists for the Mutya ag Lakan it Kalibo Ati-Atihan 2013 have been chosen.

They will compete in the grand pageant night on January 11, 2013, according to festival organizer Kalibo Sto. Nino Ati-Atihan Foundation, Inc. (Kasafi).


The finalists were selected from 40 contestants for the 3rd edition of the Kalibo Ati-Atihan beauty pageant scheduled to take place in Gov. Augusto B. Legaspi Sports and Cultural Center here.

Out of 21 aspirants, the 12 beautiful Mutya it Kalibo Ati-Atihan finalists selected are Riza Lucing (New Buswang, Kalibo, Aklan, 18), Lailani Sualog (Poblacion, Malay, Aklan, 18), Rosalie Arcenio (Camanci Norte, Numancia, Aklan, 16), Sherame Jardeleza (Estancia, Kalibo, Aklan, 19), Ma. Theressa Vanessa Dela Cruz (Poblacion, Kalibo, Aklan, 23) and Merrie Joy Montalbo (Dongon West, Numancia, Aklan, 17).

Other finalists are Jane Escalona (Bulwang, Numancia, Aklan, 21), Evelyn Teston (Tigayon, Kalibo, Aklan, 17), Harchelyn Joy Agudon (Poblacion, Kalibo, Aklan, 18), Ivy Charresse Vega (Poblacion, New Washington, Aklan, 16), Karla Jane Gallardes (Poblacion, Balete, Aklan, 22) and Janine Marie Pedrosa (Calimbajan, Makato, Aklan, 21).

The 12 Lakan it Kalibo Ati-Atihan finalists, out of 19 aspirants, are David Matthew Bunganay (Camanci, Batan, Aklan, 16), Edross Taay (Tigayon, Kalibo, Aklan, 19), Clyde Vincent Briones (Estancia, Kalibo, Aklan, 21), Charrls Cris Dagohoy (New Buswang, Kalibo, Aklan, 20), Joseph Ibadlit (Laguinbanua West, Numancia, Aklan, 21) and Satinder Pal Ghai (Ibajay, Aklan, 19).

Other finalists are Jasper Cahilig (Balusbos, Malay, Aklan, 16), Ryan Jay Rampola (Polo, Banga, Aklan, 19), Riedgbelle Jhecz Maglaqui (Tinigao, Kalibo, Aklan, 19), Jan Vic Basia (Poblacion, Kalibo, Aklan, 17), Aaron Jay Fernandez (Feliciano, Balete, Aklan, 20) and Jy Lee Kevin Tang (Dumga, Makato, Aklan, 20).

Kasafi chairman Albert Menez said preliminary competitions will be held in Boracay Garden Resort on December 15 for the Swimsuit and Swimwear and on December 21 in Kalibo Pastrana Park for the candidates’ talent performance.

 Ati-atihan folk songs Literature

The word Aklanon has two meanings. It may refer to the natives of Aklan and to their language.

Aklanon literature refers to all kinds of literary works in any languages written by Aklanons, either published or unpublished.

But it can also refer to the kind of literature written by Aklanons in their native language.

In this paper, unless stated, Aklanon literature refers to the kind of literature written by Aklanons in their own language.

For several decades now Aklanons have been writing literary pieces in Spanish, Tagalog, Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a. Surprisingly, this writer has discovered that Aklanons have been writing poems in Aklanon since 1568.

In 1925, Gabriel M. Reyes published a novel, Toning. This 35-page novel in Akeanon was published by La Panayana.

In 1926, Peping Tansinko Manyas published a short novel entitled Tagiposuon nga Hueowaran; Baeasahon Nga May Mataeupangdan.

DAHON-DAHON 5

Clara Vidal

Kaming mga dahon it mga higugan-ot sa kabukiran

Ay abo man kami iya sa tanan kapatagan

Makabulig man kami sa tanan

Ro mga masakit nga owa pa makaatraka hay among sukean

Kon kami hay nagatililipon

Nagakaeasugot sa among misyon

Ro mga matig-a nga ubo hay among pahomukon,

Ag ro eagnat hay among pahoeuron.

Akon kinyo ipakilaea,

Herbal Syrup, ro ngaean ku among kompaniya,

Sa alibhon ro nagapanguna

Maninga-singa nga helba ro nagapanigunda.

Tigsang –hakop man lang kami it abo,

Imaw man si lagundi ag buyo,

Hugasan anay sa tubi nga malimyo,

Ag iimpon sa inanam nga dahon it sampaloc ag sangkiri nga eoy-a nga binayo.

Iya man ako, singgit ni alibhon,

Sang pung-pong ku akong dahon pati gamut hay akong ihaead

Ag sa daywang kilo nga kaeamay indi kami magbalidad

Ay duyon ro abre gana sa among mga abilida.

Maulihi kamon si alibhon sa pag-eompat sa kueon

Nga may tubi nga dapae it eapaw kamon

Ag pagkatapos it 30 minutos nga pagpabukae, dayon ha-unon

Kon ro kahumot ni alibhonhay sumongaw eon.

Haw-ason ag patueoon anay kami

Puga-on sa malimpyo nga saeaan siyempre

Ag takson ro tubi sa kueon nga among heaywan

Daywang parte ro tubig ag sangparte ro kaeamay, iimpon,

Ibalik sa kueon ag pabukaean.

Hasta mag-eapuyot agod sa molibo hay magkaeasugot.

Pagkahaon pabahawon

Ibubo ro simuyaw

Nga inyong gintunaw.

Ibubo, isueod sa botelya nga ro kalimpyo hay matin-aw

Herbal Syrup ro marka

Sa mga onga sangka kutsara

Sa mga magueang daywang kutsara

Tatlong besis sa isa eang adlaw kara.

Ngani, mga kasimanwa, amon ginaknahangean ro inyong gugma,

Itanom kami sa inyong mga lagwerta

Ay kon magpin-ot ro inyong dughan

Sa dahon it mga higuyam-ot kamo mabuligan.

Rubaiyat

Red Lipstick, eyeliners and heels
Party all night , skipping healthy meals
Get drunk and drive, chase by police
Wasting time, drinking lime and beers

Sleep in the morning, woke up at night
Argue with parents, feeling like your always right
Break a heart, get in trouble 
Get drowned by pride, forgets how to be humble

Teens life, complicated in this generation 
Full of stress, lots of mess and frustration
Ignoring studies, getting big fail grades
Thinking your always strong but forever afraid

Few are responsible, few are nice
If you choose to be stubborn, you'll pay the price
No teen is perfect, but don't be stupid
You cant make things right when your already buried

Acknowledgement

Caren Kay M. Dela  Cruz for board and lodgin, internet connection and the computer :D

 and to my loving sister kimberly vequizo Braulio... haha alam mo na yan kung bat kita pinasasalamatan :) take care always and to my family, friends and almighty father.