Ati-Atihan festival
kalibo santo niño—atiatihan festival also simply called atiatihan festival philippine festival held annually january honor santo niño holy child infant jesus several town province aklan panay island biggest celebration held third sunday january town kalibo province capital name atiatihan mean imitate ati people festival consists religious procession streetparades showcasing themed float dancing group wearing colorful costume marching band people sporting face body paint street parade known sadsad also local call way dancing foot momentarily dragged along ground tune beat played marching band believed oldest festival philippine inspired popular philippine festival dinagyang iloilo sinulog cebu thus known mother philippine festival origin atiatihan celebration date back ad group malay chieftain called ‘datus’ fleeing island borneo settled island panay philippine granted settlement ati people celebration relation santo niño known fiesta de santo niño date back least th century part catholic fiesta system employed spanish colonial government reinforce reducciones policy aimed resettle native planned settlement built around local church festival along similar fiesta around country celebrating santo niño like sinulog dinagyang increasingly began resemble brazilian carnival new orleans mardi gras incorporating music street dancing body painting festival became even commercialized philippine department tourism heavily promoted local festival national prominence festival included elaborate exotic costume inspired tribal attire papua new guinea africa india culminated festival name officially changed atiatihan festivity claimed originally native animist celebration anito ancestor spirit spanish missionary gradually added christian meaning festival also linked epic maragtas epic claim group malay chieftain led datu puti fled island borneo th century landed island panay datu puti made trade ati people purchased lowland golden salakot brass basin bale cloth gave long necklace wife ati chieftain feasting festivity followed soon time later ati people struggling famine result bad harvest forced descend mountain village settlement seek generosity people lived datu obliged gave food return ati danced sang grateful gift given however historicity maragtas epic questioned modern historian despite widely included school textbook associated atiatihan festival claim origin maragtas ati people modern addition like name national commission culture art ncca ichcap unesco published pinagmulan enumeration philippine inventory intangible cultural heritage first edition unescobacked book included atiatihan festival signifying great importance philippine intangible cultural heritage local government aklan cooperation ncca given right nominate atiatihan festival unesco intangible cultural heritage list formal opening mass first day celebration emphasizes festival religious event mass followed procession accompanied rhythmic drumbeat dance parade along street second day begin dawn rosary procession end community mass another dance parade highlight festival occurs last day third sunday january group representing different tribe compete tourist attention prize festival end procession thousand people carrying different kind image santo niño town aklan celebrate atiatihan festival ibajay lezo malinao makato batan altavas malay boracay island several nearby town antique capiz also hold atiatihan festival festival held region similar theme include dinagyang iloilo halaran capiz binirayan antique initial atiatihan believed originally include ati people commonly misidentified aeta people luzon dance dancer traditionally nonati native danced give gratitude towards ati people ati welcomed ati homeland later year ati people also participated dance festival viewed people living outside philippine notably filipinoamericans call filipinx controversial allegedly use blackface disproved coloring face body nonnatives atiatihan tradition predates blackface phenomenon west fact coloring tradition meant honor slander ati people compassion towards nonati native recorded indigenous people local history ati people dinagyang sinulog santo niño disambiguation kalibo ati atihan photograph archived january wayback machine atiatihan festival schedule atiatihan festival photo