Tawo Tawo Festival

Known as the “Agricultural Capital of Negros Oriental”, the city anticipates a better production yield of crops in its magnificent fields of rice. This is where the people look upon the Tawo-Tawo, the scarecrow which repels those pesky “Maya” birds that feed on the rice grains, ensuing a much bountiful yield. With such an effective way of protecting the crops, the people are overjoyed with the abundance of their produce, thus the Tawo-Tawo festival was born in celebration and remembrance of such bountiful harvests, portraying the two important elements of the fields: the scarecrow and the mayas. Woven together, the two form a spectacular portrait of rich history and culture.

Each year the people of Bayawan city set up street dances, performances, and presentations which tell about the city’s rich agriculture. Dancers wore costumes representing farmers, scarecrows, mayas, and carabaos dance on the streets in a beautifully choreographed synchronization of movements. Previously the dance is a competition that is open to everyone on the city, but now the participation has been confined to the 28 barangays present in Bayawan.

The main event of the field presentation is the dance drama telling the city’s famous legend “How Bayawan Got Her Name.” The legend tells that the coming of the Spaniards to the Philippines was the start of the Christian Era here in our country, despite the fact that the foreigners were not welcomed with utmost hospitality, in fact Bayawan was among those who resisted the white-skinned conquerors. The most memorable part of the legend is on a certain Sunday morning where an enraged Bukidnon stormed into the chapel where a mass was held and killed the priest by throwing a lance. That was a sign of open defiance to the Christian faith which took city by storm.

THE INTERNATIONAL BAMBOO ORGAN FESTIVAL: A MUSICAL LEGACY

THE INTERNATIONAL BAMBOO ORGAN FESTIVAL: A MUSICAL LEGACY
MANILA
FEBRUARY 19, 2008

MANILA, FEBRUARY 19, 2008 (STARweek) By Ida Anita Q. del Mundo - Bamboo is known for its strength, its flexibility and its ability to last through time. In the same way, the International Bamboo Organ Festival (IBOF) has endured and flourished. Now on its 33rd year, the festival has consistently supported and showcased Filipino talent.

Declared a National Cultural Treasure in 2003, the famous Las Piñas Bamboo Organ was created by Spanish priest Fr. Diego Cera de la Virgen del Carmen. The Agustinian priest – who was also a scientist, chemist, architect, and organist – served as the community’s parish priest. Fr. Cera started working on the bamboo organ in 1816 and completed it in 1824. He is also considered the organ’s first restorer as natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes damaged the organ throughout the time that Fr. Cera served in the church. Last July 26, 2007 marked Fr. Cera’s 245th birth anniversary.

This year’s IBOF, scheduled from February 21-29, will feature tenor Randy Gilongco, singers Isay Alvarez and Robert Seña, the Festival Orchestra under the baton of Chino Toledo, the Las Piñas Men’s Choir, the Las Piñas Boys Choir led by Armando Salarza, Coro Tomasino, organists Alejandro Consolacion II and Rea Jimenez, and guest organist Ghislain Leroy.

Frenchman Leroy was born in Tourcoing in 1982 to musician parents who are both organists. Between 2001 and 2003 he studied at the Ruiel-Malmaison Regional National Conservatory where he was recipient of the First Prize and the Prize of Perfection in the Organ discipline. In 2004 he won the Harmony prize at the Paris Dance and Music Conservatory, while also attending organ classes at the Lyon Dance and Music Conservatory. In the same year the jury of the Fifth International Organ Competition of the City of Paris awarded him the Premier Grand Prix d’Inter-pretation. At present he continues his musical training in Lyon with Liesbeth Schlumberger and Francois Espinasse; he also regularly gives concerts in Paris (at Notre Dame, La Madeleine, Ste. Clotilde, and St. Eustace) as well as all over France and around the world.

Holding their own in the international festival, the young talents of the Las Piñas Boys Choir are full of enthusiasm and determination. The IBOF has definitely brought light to their talent and has opened up many opportunities for them and their music. The choir has come a long way since Belgian priest Fr. Leo Renier founded it in 1969. Since then, the young musicians have given performances all over the Philippines including at Malacañang and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. They also won first place in the Third National Competition of Children’s Choirs. The choir is now preparing to make their international debut in the World Choir Olympics to be held in Austria from July 9 to 19.

The 33rd IBOF kicks off with an invitational gala concert on Feb. 21 specially prepared for guests and sponsors. Feb. 22 marks the start of public concerts with an evening of organ music featuring Ghislain Leroy who will perform both on the bamboo organ and the contemporary organ. The Las Piñas Boys Choir will shine in concert on Feb. 23 under the baton of Armando Salarza with organist Alejandro Consolacion II and the Las Piñas Men’s Choir. Robert Seña and Isay Alvarez will perform popular songs in a concert under the stars in the church patio on Feb. 24. The gala concert will be repeated on Feb. 25 featuring organists Rea Jimenez and Armando Salarza.

The festival culminates with Messa di Gloria on Feb. 27 and 29, in celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of opera composer Giacomo Puccini. Written in 1880, the Messa di Gloria is the composer’s only mass. Featured soloists for the night will be Randy Gilongo, tenor, and Noel Azcona, baritone, together with the Coro Tomasino and the Festival Orchestra led by Chino Toledo.

Throughout the years, the IBOF has come to highlight not just a simple instrument but more importantly, the music and talent of Filipinos. This year’s concert series promises to continue this legacy of thriumphant music.

Though it was deemed unplayable for years because of wear and tear from natural and man made causes, the bamboo organ, true to the nature of its material, withstood the elements. The International Bamboo Organ Festival is a testament to the bamboo organ’s endurance and a celebration of a community’s determination to keep their music alive.

Tinagba Festival

Tinagba Festival
Bicol
Feruary 11

Iriga City in Bicol will come alive as the city celebrates its annual Tinagba Festival which started Feb. 5 and ends tomorrow, Feb. 11. Tinagba Festival is an ancient Bicol first harvest offering that features a caravan of gaily-decorated bull carts/motorized floats. It also features revelers in mardi gras and native costumes who dance and parade around the city.

Iriga Mayor Madelaine Alfelor-Gazmen and the Irigueños are preparing for this big celebration. Highlight of this week-long festival is a spectacular street parade competition tomorrow which coincides with the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes.

The festival will transform Iriga City Park into a Science and Technology Park. Various activities are also lined up such as acrobatics, animalandia, quiz show, film showing, technodance expo, wall climbing and science exhibit.

Iriga City is a fast growing urban center in the Bicol Peninsula which offers breathtaking natural wonders, a safe community and the warm company of kind, creative people. It is known as the City of Crystal Clear Springs with more than 30 natural springs spread everywhere in this booming city. It is also famous for its most prominent natural landmark, the majestic Mt. Iriga that offers a captivating view of the Bicol River basin area.

The city’s other major activities this year include the annual Miss Iriga, Miss Rinconada and Miss Tourism Pageant and the Charter Foundation Anniversary.

Mayor Alfelor-Gazmen and the Irigueños invite everyone to visit Iriga City to celebrate the festivities and experience the hospitality, honesty, and warmth that Irigueños are known for.

San Fernando City Fiesta in La Union

San Fernando City celebrates its annual fiesta in honor of Saint William the Hermit every month of February. There are various religious activities being held like National Bible celebration, thanksgiving mass, Parish Pastoral Night and a Fiesta Mass. Other highlights include sports activities (boxing, mountain bike/BMX race kicked off), social and cultural activities (acrobatic shows, disabled persons program, field demonstration of schools, dog show, bingo socials, band concert, and more), grand civic and military parade, agricultural trade fair and beauty and talent searches.

Pamulinawen Festival

Pamulinawen Festival
LAOAG CITY AND PROVINCE
February 7 to 10

Pamulinawen Festival held every first week of February. Fiesta celebration has become an integral part of the religious and cultural heritage of every town in the Philippines.

From February 02-11, join Laoag City as they celebrate the Pamulinawen Festival. Originally perceived by the early Spanish friars and conquistadors to attractatives to their religious fold, fiestas indeed became a successful way of converting them to the Catholic religion, thus it became a yearly festivity handed down to us the passage of time.

The celebration is held on the feast day of the town's patron saint. Just like any other town in the country, Laoag City celebrates its annual fiesta on the 11th of February, the feast day of Saint William the Hermit, its patron saint. It is an affair, which is primarily done to give honor, pay our homage and extend our thanks for the benevolence and generosity of Saint William. Through his intercession to the Lord, Laoag City has been blessed and spared from calamities and disasters. The Laoagueños wait for and look forward to every celebration of the city fiesta, making it an extension of the fun and the frolics of the Christmas season.

As early as the first week of January, preparations start for the festivity. All government offices, national as well as local, all non-governmental organizations, people's organizations, the religious and business sectors are tapped to actively participate in the different planned activities. Given special participation are our "kailians" who are now residing abroad, particularly those in Hawaii, Mainland U.S.A. and even those overseas workers who wish to come home and celebrate with us.

Merry-makings begin days before the Feast Day. The City Fiesta officially starts with a Civic and Military Parade and the opening of the Agro-Industrial Fair, among others. Matinees are held in the afternoon at the City Amphitheater sponsored and coordinated by Laoag City DECS. These matinee shows are venues where pupils/students manifest the Ilocano culture and spirit through songs and dances. Evening affairs are sponsored and taken cared of by different groups... Association of Barangays Councils, the City Government, the NGO, the Balikbayans, to just name a few.

The highlights of the celebration are varied. People flock the City Amphitheater to witness the search for Miss Laoag City, they line up the streets to view the floral parade on the 9th of February and the Dance Parade on the 11th. Floats became more elaborate with more significant themes. Students, barangays and city officials, employees and even the private sector join in the floral parade.

And the number of participating floats increases yearly. Not to be outdone is the Carnival Fair, which occupies the riverbed portion of the mighty Padsan River, just below the Marcos Bridge. This is an attraction not only for kids but also for fun-loving adults. They go and see the Circus, to have joyride on the caterpillar, ferries wheel, merry-go-round, octopus and others.

FESTIVAL OF HEARTS

FESTIVAL OF HEARTS
February 1- February 14 | Tanjay City, Negros Oriental

In celebration of Valentines, the city tourism council of Tanjay is coming up with a festival of romance showcasing a nightly Harana, Baile ng Bayan, Mass Wedding/Renewal of Vows and coronation of SK''s search for Miss Valentines.

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF CANDLES

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF CANDLES
February 2 - Jara, Iloilo City
The biggest and most opulent religiuos pageanty in Western Visayas. The blessing of candles and the yearly procession of the patroness, the Nuestra Senora de Candelaria is followed by the fiesta queen and her court which highlights the celebration.

The highlight of the fiesta is a grand parade lead by the young women of the elite Jaro families and followed by the blessed Mother Mary in her several personas. This year 2009, the Jaro Fiesta Queen is Angelica Chan, youngest daughter of songwriter/businessman, Jose Mari Chan and Mary Ann Ansaldo.

The Jaro Fiesta is also known for its multi-million Cock Derby, which attracts cock fighting enthusiasts from all over the country.

The Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Candles
The enshrined image of Our Lady in Jaroís Cathedral is said to be miraculous. People believe that the image grew from almost a feet tall to now more than six feet and growing. To where it was originally framed, one could compare how much the image had grown.
Legend has it that a long time ago, a fisherman discovered the image in the banks of Iloilo river in 1587. It was very heavy amidst of its size which was almost a foot high. Many people attempted to lift it but was unable to. Only until the people agreed to bring the statue to Jaro church, which eventually became the home of the Lady did a single person managed to carry it.
The statue was placed in front of the Cathedral letting her see the entire town.
This convinced the townsfolks that the Lady has miraculous powers as strange incidents in the surrounding of the image. In the old days, people say, the image suddenly dissapear early in the morning and mist would miraculously fill the pediment of the Cathedral. During this time, a beautiful lady with long hair would be seen with a child in her arms buying for oil for lamp and in the plaza where she would bathe her child at the artesian well.
Soon, townsfolk started to bathe in the same well and believed to have cured from their ailments.
The Lady of the Candles is the only female image to have displayed along the walls of the cathedral.

Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

The annual Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) is the country's biggest aviation sports event today. Hot air balloon and airplane pilots from all over the world fly into the Philippines to join their local counterparts in this breathtaking event. In addition to daily flights of the hot air balloons, other activities include: skydiving, daily flag jumps (a skydiver jumps with the Philippine flag while the National Anthem is played to the start of the day's activities); micro light demonstrations; small planes fly-bys and fly-ins; remote controlled airplanes exhibitions; aerobatics; light airplane balloon bursting competition; ultra-light formation flying and bomb dropping exhibitions; helicopter fly-ins and exhibitions; an air rally from Clark to Vigan; rocketry demonstrations; kite flying exhibitions; and races between ultra lights and motorcycles.
Getting to the Clark Special Economic Zone by car is easy. One simply needs to take the North Luzon Expressway from Manila and exit at Dau, Mabalacat. After which, a left turn towards Angeles City would bring you to within an easy right turn to Clark itself. The trip should take about an hour and a half from Manila.

Dinagyang Festival

DINAGYANG
Iloilo City
Fourth Weekend January

The Dinagyang Festival is celebrated every fourth weekend of January to honor the Christianization of the natives and to respect the Holy Child Jesus. On this day, streets of Iloilo City will once again come alive as the Ilonggos celebrate the annual festivity. It is a very colorful parade coupled with a dramatization in honor of the patron Saint Sto. Niño as the object of performs offerings and prayers amidst the cracking of drums and shouts of "Viva Señor Santo Niño." The thundering of "Hala Bira" by the tribe members makes the celebration a lively one. It is also a very popular tagline used by Ilonggos to express their warm participation during the "Dinagyang" celebration. A tribute in honor of Señor Sto. Niño whom Ilonggos believe was very miraculous in times of famine and drought.

Dinagyang is an annual event, when the whole town rejoices, shouting their pride of being an Ilonggo and telling their culture. It is a wonderful looking back to the past. It is not just a celebration, it is a religious evangelization. Going back to Iloilo is more like a past fulfilled and a looking forward for future celebrations. It is our culture. The Aeta culture. That's why it is painting the town black.

The Birth and Evolution of Dinagyang

The root word is dagyang. In Ilonggo, it means to make happy. Dinagyang is the present progressive word of the Ilonggo word, meaning making merry or merry-making. A religious and cultural activity, it is a celebration of Ilonggos whose bodies are painted with black in effect to imitate the black, small and slender Negritos who are the aborigines of Panay. The warriors are dressed in fashionable and colorful Aeta costumes and dance artistically and rhythmically with complicated formations along with the loud thrashing and sound of drums.

Before, Dinagyang was called Ati-atihan like that of the Kalibo festivity. History tells that it started when a replica of the image of Señor Sto. Niño was brought to the San Jose Parish Church in Iloilo from Cebu. The people of Iloilo honored the coming of the image and then became devotees. Until they made the day of the Image's arrival as his feast day which falls on the 4th Sunday of January. Since 1968, it was already considered a yearly celebration, culminated by a nine-day Novena, an Ati-ati contest and a fluvial procession on the last day.

Recognized now to the annual, socio-cultural-religious festival of Iloilo City, the word Dinagyang was made up by an old-timer, Ilonggo writer and radio broadcaster, the late Pacifico Sumagpao Sudario, and first used to name the festival when it was launched in 1977, to make it unique from other Ati-atihan celebrations.

Iloilo City's Dinagyang has its early beginnings in 1968, when a model of the image of Sr. Santo Ni¤o was brought from Cebu City to the San Jose Parish Church by Fr. Suplicio Ebderes, OSA with a delegation of Cofradia del Sto. Niño, Cebu members. The image and party were enthusiastically welcomed at Iloilo City by then parish priest of San Jose Church, Fr. Ambrosio Galindez, OSA, then Mayor Renerio Ticao, and the devotees of the Sto. Niño in Iloilo City. The image was brought to San Jose Parish Church and preserved there up to this time, where a novena in His honor is held every Friday. The climax of the nine-day novena was the Fluvial Procession.

In the early morning light of dawn, the respected Santo Niño image is borne on a decorative banca in a fluvial procession, starting from the mouth of the Iloilo River at Fort San Pedro, winding all the way to the Iloilo Provincial Capitol which stands on the bank of the Iloilo River.

If the festival had to be developed into a major tourist attraction, it would be so big in magnitude and the Confradia thought that it could no longer cope with the demands of a tourist come-on. The year 1976 also brought another feature of the festival. Street celebrations and audience participation were introduced and encouraged.

At that point, the Santo Niño is met by the Hermano-Hermana Mayor devotees, and Ati-atihan tribes. With the Santo Niño leading, the foot procession starts, passing through the main streets of the city and ending up at San Jose Church, where a high mass is then celebrated. As years went by, the celebration continued to be highlighted by a mass at San Jose Parish at the break of the dawn; by a "Kasadyahan" which is the opening event of the celebration, also a merrymaking but is a dramatized dance presentation about the Aeta's survival, the landing of the 10 Bornean Datus in Panay and the colonization; and by dances and more merry making which have become a tourist attraction.

As more and more tribes from the barangays, schools and nearby towns and provinces participate, the contest became more competitive in terms of costumes, choreography and sounds. The tribes compete for the following Special Awards: Best in Discipline, Best in Costume, Best in Performance, Best in Music and Best in Choreography. These are aside from the major awards for the champion, first runner-up, second runner-up, third runner-up and fourth runner-up. Participating tribes learn to design artistically and with originality in making use of Ilonggo native materials like dried anahaw leaves, buri or coconut palm leaves and husks and other barks of Philippine trees. Choreography was studied and practices were kept secret. Sounds were seen as an authentic medium that keeps the tribes going in uniform.

They also include a brief dramatization of how Christianity was brought to Panay and the arrival of the 10 Bornean Datus telling about the exchange of the Aetas of their land for the Borneans' Golden Salakot (native hat) and a long pearl necklace which is also parallel with the Kasadyahan celebration. During the celebration, people participate with the Kasadyahan. Some dressed in Aeta costumes, some paint their faces with black paint, some put on colored artificial tattoos and wear other Aeta ornaments. At night, there is public dancing on selected areas.

Vigan Town Fiesta

A week long of fiesta of Vigan characterized by carnivals, parades, musical extravaganzas, beauty and popularity contests, and nightly cultural shows, culminating with the celebration of the "conversion" of St. Paul the apostle, the town's patron saint, on January 25.

Semana Santa (Holy Week)

The observance of the Holy Week is one of Vigan's foremost tourist attractions. Tourists flock to join local devotees in the religious processions with life-size statutes in "carrozas" and participate in the traditional "pasion" and "visita iglesia". Its own share of religious pageantry and the people's public demonstration of sanctity and piety make its local rendering a memorable experience for all.

Viva Vigan Festival of Arts

In an effort to increase public awareness of Vigan as a unique historic town to be conserved and protected, the Save Vigan Ancestral Homes Association, Inc. (SVAHAI), a local non-government organization involved in the conservation of Vigan Heritage, initiated the 1st Viva Vigan Festival of the Arts in May 1993. The highlights of ancestral houses. With the help of members of print and broadcast media, as well as Manila-based proponents of conservation, the first festival was a success.

Encouraging public response has made festival a yearly. It has also proven to be a stimulus for the local tourism industry. Over the past years, the Viva Vigan Festival has become one of the biggest cultural events in the North, attracting domestic and foreign visitors who come to Vigan on a pilgrimage to our heritage.

Makati - Caracol Festival

Caracol Festival is not a held in commemoration of patron saints, but aims to instill in the minds of the new generation the importance of preserving and conserving Philippine’s ecology and natural resources. This makes the Caracol Festival a effective campaign for an environmental awareness in a form of celebration.

People who will take part in the festival are encouraged to wear body paints, masks, and other costumes of anything environmently associated.

The Festival is a joint project of Makati City Government, Makati Festival Foundation, Inc., and the Museum and Cultural Affairs Office.

Well, Caracol Festival was derived from a Spanish word means “Snail Shells” and it signifies the City being a shell of fun and merrymaking even at the time of hardship. The festivals theme is the preservation of Mother Earth and it was shown on the participant’s costumes. Participants from Elementary schools were mostly dressed in animal costumes like dogs, bees, cats and the most popular was the birds’ costume. While the High school and College students were dressed as fairies, butterflies, flowers, jellyfish, seahorses, Indians, squids, illegal loggers and a lot more. The participants also had a lot of props and special effects to emphasize their point.

Sinulog Festival

Sinulog Festival
Cebu City
third sunday of January

The Sinulog festival is one of the grandest, most distinguished and most colorful festivals in the Philippines. The major festival is held each year on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City to honor the Santo Niño, or the child Jesus, who used to be the patron saint of the whole province of Cebu (since in the Catholic faith Jesus is not a saint, but God). It is fundamentally a dance ritual which remembers the Filipino people's pagan past and their recognition of Christianity.

The festival features some the country's most colorful displays of ceremony and pageantry: participants clothe in bright-colored costumes dance to the rhythm of drums and native gongs. The streets are generally lined with vendors and pedestrians all wanting to witness the street-dancing. Smaller versions of the festival are also held in different parts of the province, also to celebrate and honor the Santo Niño. There is also a Sinulog sa Kabataan, which is performed by the youths of Cebu a week before the Grand Parade.

Recently, the cultural event has been commercialized as a tourist attraction and instead of traditional street-dancing from locals, Sinulog also came to mean a contest highlighting groups from various parts of the country. The Sinulog Contest is traditionally held in the Cebu City Sports Complex, where most of Cebu's major provincial events are held.

Daro Sinulog Festivals

Daro Sinulog
(Dumaguete City; 3rd week of January)

DARO SINULOG FESTIVAL
Daro Sinulog of Dumaguete Negros Oriental, which is a moving pageantry depicting the Holy Child’s conversion of pagan tribes. A street dancing and showdown competition participated in by the different puroks of Barangay Daro, in honor of Senor Santo
Nino

Philippine Festivals - ATI-ATIHAN

ATI-ATIHAN
Kalibo, Aklan
Third Week





The Ati-Atihan Festival honors the 13th century land deal between 10 migrating Bornean chieftains and the indigenous Ati King Marikudo. It also honors the town patron, the infant Sto. Niño. The constant, rhythmic pounding of drums get to you, and before you know it you are on the street, shuffling your feet, shaking your head, waving your hands - and joining thousands of soot-blacked, gaily-costumed revelers in an ancient ritual of mindless happiness. A familiar battle cry reaches your ears, and amidst all this bewilderment you remember where you are: Kalibo, Aklan. "Viva, Sto. Niño!" The Ati-Atihan celebration is boomed in many parts of the country.
more on ati-atihan festival

Time to Party and Dance to the Beat of the Drums in Kalibo! ENJOY LIFE! DANCE in the STREETS! PARTY til You Drop!

The name Ati-Atihan means "make-believe Atis. " It has been known as the wildest among Philippine fiestas. The Ati-Atihan is a festival in honour of the Santo Niño. During the last three days of this week-long festival (fiesta), a parade is characteristic. A colourful happening with celebrants who paint their faces in many different ways and who are dressed in the most outstanding costumes.
The Ati-Atihan festival is named after the Ati, the indigenious natives of the island before the arrival of the Malay in the 10th century and the Spanish in the 16th century.
The festival is held on the third week of January every year on the second Sunday after Epiphany in Kalibo in the Aklan province on the island of Panay. The festival is to rejoice the arrival or gift of the Santo Niño by Magellan to the native Queen of Cebu in 1521 and is manifested by hyperactive merriment on the streets . The dancing on the rhythms of the drums makes this festival very similar to the Mardi Gras celebration in Rio in Brazil.

ATI-ATIHAN is one of the greatest, most colorful and fun festivals. It's nickname, "The Filipino Mardis Gras" and takes place the 3rd weekend in January every year in Kalibo, Aklan, Panay Island,
Philippines. Iloilo and many other smaller towns on Panay Island also party the festivals during the weekends from mid January to early February so if you miss the Kalibo festival you could still experience fun elsewhere. The informality of the festival is what makes it so terrific and allows everyone to participate, dance, beat on a drum or just take photos while in the middle of the tribal groups. The groups include all age groups - another wonderful aspect of the festival. Some of the most creative costumes distinct to the tribal themes are displayed by a few of the local gays. The festival includes every local group in Aklan with a unique tribal tradition, various civic or commercial organizations and individuals that create new costumes every year.

The key activity of the festival and one of the main reasons tourists gather to the island is the native dance competitions pitched to rhythmic and mesmerizing drumbeats that run nonstop for several days. Competitors rehearsed for weeks before the festival and dress in very colorful costumes, wearing masks and headdresses, and paint their bodies with black ash to turn up like the native Ati. Dancing troupes, some numbering 40 or 50 children or teenagers, dance for local prestige and cash prizes.
Hotels and resorts for miles around are reserved solid months in advance, but many houses near the festival have spare rooms that families let out. While there is much drinking and revelry there is a noticeable police presence that is there to safeguard foreigners and tourists. The other attraction is Boracay beach is less than an hour away so many tourists and visitors view the festival and then visit Boracay for a complete and well-rounded vacation.

The origin
The museum on the town square is worth a visit to learn more about the origin of Ati Atihan. In the thirteenth century, long before the Spaniards came to the Philippines, light-skinned settlers from the island of Borneo (Kalimantan) in Indonesia arrived on Panay. The local people of Panay, the Ati (negritos), a small and dark (black) kinky-haired people, sold them a small piece of land and permitted them to settle down in the lowlands. The Atis themselves, lived more upland in the mountains.
One time the Ati people was in need of food because of a bad harvest in their homelands because strong rains wiped out hillside crops. They came down to the lowlands of the Maraynon and asked them food. Every year since then, the Atis came down to the lowland people to ask for some food. The lowlanders who had a good harvest shared their blessings with the black, kinky-haired people. They danced and sang in gratefulness for the helping hand. A real friendship was born and the Maraynon started to paint their faces black in honor of the Atis and took part in the fiesta.

Sometime in the 13th century, ten datus from Borneo fleeing the oppression of Datu Makatunaw purchased some land in Panay from the Ati Marikudo, son of the old chief Populan. The price agreed upon was a solid gold hat and a basin. In addition, the Ati chief's wife wanted an ankle-length necklace for which the natives gave a mass of live crabs, a long-tusked boar, and full-antlered white deer. Datu Puti, leader of the expedition and a relative of Makatunaw, established the Panay settlement and left Datu Sumakwel in charge.
Datu Puti went on farther north to the island of Luzon and left Datu Balensuela and Datu Dumangsil in a settlement in Taal. Datu Puti later returned to Borneo. These we gather from Maragtas, a book written by Pedro Monteclaro in 1907 and supposedly based on an ancient manuscript that nobody has ever seen.

Aklan is the oldest province in the Philippines, structured in 1213 by settler from Borneo as the Minuro it Akean to include what is now Capiz. The festival is a festivity of the king of the "Aetas", the original indigenous inhabitant’s agreement with the leader of the Malays that came by "banca" from Sabah's sultanate in the 1200s, 800 years ago. Aklan's capital presently, Kalibo but has changed location several times throughout their history.


While the small provincial capital of Kalibo is always overbooked it's best and more beautiful to stay on Boracay Island. It's easy to hire a jeepney with driver 6AM until sunset for $40 (easily shared by a group of people you meet on the beach usually) or a Toyota van with aircondition with driver for $60 with room for six persons. In case you miss it there's a much minor version of the festival that is called " the original Ati Ati Han" held one week later in Ibajay, a town located half way between Kalibo and Boracay Island on the provincial road.

When you have drank and danced until you are ready to drop then return to Boracay in time for a beautiful sunset.

A picture is truly worth a 1000 words. When our memories are foggy our memories can captured and treasured with photography. Sightseeing, temples, historical landmarks, scenic beauty and intellectual institutions like museums enrich our travel experience but the PEOPLE WE MEET ON OUR TRAVEL ADVENTURES STAY WITH US FOR A LIFETIME.

Spanish influence

After the Spaniards settled down in the Philippines, some Catholic elements get into in the fiesta, especially honoring Santo Niño. A Spanish representative arranged a deal with the local leaders of the Atis and the leader of the immigrants from Borneo. The outcome of the deal was, that in the future the existing native celebration would be devoted to the Santo Niño. Nowadays it is a mix of parades, procession and dancing people on the beat of monotonous music of drums or the rhythmic tinkling of metal and stone on bottles. It looks as if the dancing never stops! The ritual dance originates from the Atis.
Viva kay Santo Niño!

It is said that the procession is the peak of the fiesta. It is held on the last Sunday. The street dancers never fail to enter the Kalibo church every time they pass by.
The jingle "Viva kay Santo Niño!" is repeated commonly. It is clear that it is Santo Niño who is honored.

The Beat and Rhythm

Although the Ati-Atihan appears to show only revelry, a closer look shows that it has historic origins.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BO BOOM BO BO BO BOOM!
BOOM BOOM BOOM BO BOOM BO BO BO BOOM!

The beating of bass drums and the rhythmic tinkling of metal and stone on bottles echo in the air during the celebration. Monotonous and vivacious, the music blasts a while then stops to wait for a response from others. Drums beat continuously and everyone talks and shouts,

HALA BIRA, PUERA PASMA!

By midmorning, small groups gather in their respective neighborhoods. They are prodded by drums as they dance their way to the town center. They grow in numbers as different groups from remote areas merge into one as they get closer to the center of town. Sometimes the crowd thins as a few drops out to worship in silence and offer themselves to their own gods. But they always come back to rejoin the group to disappear in the gyrating crowd. The dancing never stops.
All week long, celebrants arrive by land, sea, and air. As inter-island boats dock, they are greeted by pseudo-New Guinea tribal drummers. Tourists are ferried across rice fields and coconut plantations to Kalibo hotels while others are accommodated in private homes and public buildings. Others camp on the beach. By weekend all accommodations are gone although there seems to be no need for them as nobody bothers to sleep anyway. There is music everywhere and the loud crowd often finds itself inside improvised halls dancing all night long.
The steady beat of drums can sometimes be heard late in the night as a single drummer is suddenly inspired to pick up the rhythm.

VIVA EL SEÑOR SANTO NIÑO!

Celebrants ape the dance of the Atis. This ritual is said to be the result of the sale of land in Panay by the Ati chieftain Marikudo to Datu Puti and the Borneans so that they can have a place to settle.
It has been observed that the unyielding street dancers never fail to enter the Kalibo church every time they pass by. Repeated shouts of "Viva kay Santo Niño!" and placards carried around with the same slogan make it known to everybody that this profane merriment is the participants' rowdy way of honoring the Santo Niño.

The coming of the Santo Niño into the fiesta started with the involvement of the first encomiendero of Aklan, Don Antonio Flores. He made arrangements with Datu Malanga and Datu Madayog to have their then existing native celebration be dedicated to the Santo Niño.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BO BOOM BO BO BO BOOM!

Among the Visayans, the Spaniards wrote, it is not quite proper to drink alone or to appear drunk in public. Drinking is done in small groups or in "gatherings where men as well as women sat on opposite sides of the room, and any passerby was welcome to join in." Father Loarca admired their control for they rarely got angry when drunk and Alcina relates that the Visayans could decide disputes in the "best, quickest and most equitable way" when wine was used to enliven the discussion. "After drinking something, he who proposes does it with eloquence, those who respond, with discretion, those who decide, with attention, and all with fairness."

One of the first things the Spaniards learned about the Visayans was that they were good drinkers. Magellan had no sooner landed in Homonhon, when people from nearby Suluan presented him a jarful of what Pigafetta recorded as uraca--that is, arak, the Malay-Arabic word for distilled liquor. In Limasawa, Pigafetta drank from the same cup as Rajah Kolambu, and his translator, Enrique de Malacca, got so drunk he wasn't of much use; a few days later, the local harvest was delayed while Kolambu and his brother Awi slept off a hangover. In Cebu, Pigafetta drank palm wine, tuba nga nipa, straight from the jar with reed straws together with Rajah Humabon, but in Quipit he excused himself after one draught when Rajah Kalanaw and his companions finished a whole jar withour eating anything.

Looking for the Prehispanic Filipino

The early acceptance of Catholic rituals had much to do with the eventual suppression of the natives' ritual drinking. The Spanish clergy did not oppose moderate drinking but were able to attack excessive indulgence as a threat to public morality. What aroused the friars was that drinking was tightly bound to pagan celebrations of betrothals, weddings, and funerals. These activities would eventually be eliminated among Christianized Filipinos. (Phelan, 76-7)
However, this did not happen with the Ati-Atihan.

HALA BIRA!
BOOM BOOM BOOM BO BOOM BO BO BO BOOM!

In spite of the isolation of some native settlements, the fiesta enabled the religious orders to reach out to their scattered flock. "There were three fiestas of consequence to the Filipinos, namely, Holy Week, Corpus Christi, and the feast in honor of the patron saint of the locality." The natives would flock to the cabecera and it was also an opportunity to teach them in Christianity. Fiestas offered religious processions, dances, music, and theatrical presentations to the people. Although it may be "sacred or profane blended together...it is highly doubtful that the Filipino were aware of the ceremony's elaborate liturgical symbolism, but they obviously enjoyed the pageantry involved." This statement seems particularly appropriate for the Ati-Atihan. Wherever the flock may be, they can hear the drumbeats from far-away Kalibo calling them at the start of every year.
Kalibo's Ati-Atihan has become so admired that similar festivals have cropped up all over Western Visayas. Antique has its Binirayan and Handugan festivals while Iloilo City has a more lavish and choreographed edition called Dinagyang. Bacolod, not one to be left behind, has also started its own version. (Hoefer, 255) In Cebu, it comes as Pit Senyor, a hopping dance to drums, (Joaquin, 18) or Sinulog. Today, Ati-Atihan is celebrated in the Aklan towns of Makato, Altavas, and Ibajay, a small town northeast of Kalibo which claims to be the original site where the Negritos came down from the hills to celebrate with the lowlanders. Of course, this claim is recounted in various towns along the northeast coast of Panay but through the years, Kalibo has established itself as the Ati-Atihan center.

PUERA PASMA!
BOOM BOOM BOOM BO BOOM BO BO BO BOOM!

The original commemoration of a land barter and thankfulness to the Provider for the post-monsoon harvest has turned into a feast day for the Santo Niño. He is the direct link to the Father, the God of all, the Redeemer from infamy, the Absolver of all sins, the Deliverer to a better life. That is why Filipinos carry Him close to their hearts as a talisman, or anting-anting, and as protection from the unholy.

HALA BIRA! Boom pak. PUERA PASMA! Boom pak.
HALA BIRA! Boom pak. PUERA PASMA! Boom pak.

There is so much to be thankful for. It could be the achievement of a good trade, a bountiful harvest, release from famine and storm, a peace pact between military people, a prayer answered, a vow reaffirmed, or just plain ecstasy for life. The beat goes on and frenzy builds up in the noonday heat as sweat and brew eats up the senses. Icons of history, pop characters, and political personages dance with Congolese warriors in mock battle with caballeros. The celebrants' dreams are reinforced by rosaries and prayers which absolve them from their sins and resurrect them as new persons, maybe with a hangover, but definitely saved again.
Once inside the church these costumed revelers would kneel along the communion rail to have their heads, shoulders, and backs rubbed by the now exhausted sacristan, priest, or church helper with a small statue of the Santo Niño. And just as the Ati-Atihan is an outward display of revelry and adoration, the devotee is in search of something which is missing from within. That which was empty is now filled, probably as much with spirit from the bottle as much as anything else. The celebrant becomes at peace with himself, the world, and his god. The loob (inner self) is once again purified by the performance of the ritual of the (celebration) panlabas.
With church bells ringing to the rhythm of HALA BIRA! PUERA PASMA! a now cleansed assembly of revelers stagger back to the streets of the Ati-Atihan climax, the end of a long precession where muggers, gropers and thieves have rubbed elbows with schoolgirls and church ladies tearfully singing religious hymns. The twin lights of media and tourism have done their bit in egging the frenzy on, but at the core, it is only the Filipino pulling two polar ends of his soul together.

LINGAYEN GULF LANDING ANNIVERSAY

LINGAYEN GULF LANDING ANNIVERSAY
January 9 | Lingayen, Pangasinan
Commemoration of the liberation of Pangasinan from the Japanese invasion led by Gen. Douglas McArthur on Jan. 9, 1945/

On January 9, 2008, Gov. Amado Espino, Jr. and Vice Gov. Marlyn Primicias-Agabas institutionalized the commemoration to honor the war veterans. The resolution named January 9 as Pangasinan Veterans’ Day. In the 63rd anniversary commemoration of the Lingayen Gulf Landing, President Fidel Ramos appealed to US President George W. Bush for 24,000 surviving war veterans, to pass two legislative bills pending since 1968 at the US House of Representatives – the Filipino Veterans’ Equity Act of 2006 and the Filipino Veterans’ Equity of 2005 sponsored by former Senator Daniel Inouye

Romblon Biniray Festival

Romblon Biniray Festival
A festival parade in the sea followed by a celebration in Romblon January 9






Fiestas celebrating the Santo Nino, the image of the Holy Child Jesus, are popular in many parts of the Philippines. While Cebu City's week-long Sinulog Festival is perhaps the best known of these celebrations, the province of Romblon annually hosts its own unique festivities in honor of the Santo Nino in the capital town of Romblon. Filled with dancing, music, and a carnival atmosphere, the 2002 Biniray Festival will be held today till the 13th of the month.

The origins of the Biniray Festival date back well over 400 years to the earliest days of European colonialism in the islands. It has its roots in the adoration of the Santo Nino statue of Cebu which, along with Magellan's Cross, is the oldest and most celebrated Christian relic in the Philippines. Crafted by Flemish artisans, the statue was brought to Cebu by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521.

According to tradition, an Augustinian Friar had commissioned an exact replica of the Cebuano Santo Nino and the galleon carrying the statue stopped over in Romblon on its way to Madrid. But time the ship attempted to leave Romblon Bay for Spain, typhoon winds forced the vessel to turn back. The icon was then taken off the boat and brought to Romblon's Catholic Church, where a Mass was offered. At the conclusion of the Mass, when the priest and congregation attempted to return the statue to the boat, the statue miraculously could not be moved.

The Santo Nino resided in St. Joseph Cathedral for over four centuries, but was stolen from the cathedral in 1991 and has not yet been recovered. For the past decade, a replica of the statue has been venerated by thousands of festival-goers who participate in the celebration, which is held the second weekend of
January.

The fiesta is highlighted by a flotilla of vessels that circle Romblon Bay seven times, marking the Spanish galleon's fruitless attempts to remove the Santo Nino from the province. This is followed by a colorful parade of marchers adorned with flowers and brightly painted costumes and faces. They accompany the Santo Nino as it is carried through the streets of the capital aboard a palanquin, a litter held aloft on bamboo poles.

The Biniray Festival is another marvelous opportunity for Filipinos and other travelers to experience the rich history, pageantry, and hospitality of the Philippines. For more information or to plan a trip to attend the upcoming festival, please contact Vernie Velarde-Morales, Tourism Director, Philippine Tourism Office, Chicago, at 312-782-2475, or by e-mail pdotchi@aol.com. For complete details on accommodations and special airfares to Romblon, please contact Delia Saluba Famatigan at Romblon Foundation 630-375-9318, or by e-mail Odiongan@aol.com

Philippine Festival Black Nazarene Festival

FEAST OF THE BLACK NAZARENE
Quiapo Church, Manila
January 9

The Black Nazarene (Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno) that has came all the way from Mexico through a galleon is a life-sized, dark-colored, wooden sculpture (carver is an Aztec carpenter) of Jesus Christ which has been known to be miraculous by majority of the people, especially its Filipino devotees. The black Nazarene is currently enshrined in the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila, Philippines where novena celebrations are held every Friday throughout the whole year. Roman Catholic tradition holds that the Black Nazarene came from a boat that caught fire, turning it from its original white into black or burnt complexion. For almost 200 years, the Black Nazarene is carried into the streets for procession in a "Caroza" or golden red carriage pulled through the streets of Quiapo by male devotees clad in maroon. Every 9th of January, the feast of the Most Holy Black Nazarene is celebrated while novena masses begin on the first Friday day of the year, in honor of its weekly novena mass held every Friday. This also celebrates the Translacion or the transfer of the image to its present shrine in Quiapo. The devotion to the miraculous Black Nazarene (Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno) has attracted huge following among the public. Its popularity, which initially spread to the northern and southern provinces of Luzon, spread over time throughout the country. Devotees pay homage to the Santo Cristo Jesus Nazareno by clapping their hands in praise at the end of every Mass performed at the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene. On its feast during January 9, people believed that whoever touched the Nazarene sometimes has been healed of their diseases. Catholics come from all over Manila for the chance that they will be able to get close enough to touch the image and perhaps even receive a miracle. Some devotees also throw towels or handkerchiefs to the people guarding the statue and ask them to rub them on the statue in anticipation of carrying some of that power away with them.

History of the Black Nazarene Festival
The Black Nazarene statue was brought to Manila by the first group of Augustinian Recollect friars on May 31, 1606. The image was originally housed in the first Recollect church in Bagumbayan (now part of the Rizal Park), which was established on September 10, 1606, and placed under the patronage of Saint Juan Bautista Saint John the Baptist.

In 1608, the image of the "Nazareno" was transferred to the second, bigger Recollect church dedicated to San Nicolas de Tolentino (Saint Nicholas of Tolentine). The Recollect Fathers dynamically promoted devotion to the Suffering of Our Lord represented by the image that in fifteen short years, the Cofradia de Santo Cristo Jesús Nazareno was established on April 21, 1621. The confraternity obtained Papal approval on April 20, 1650, from Pope Innocent X.

Sometime in the year 1787, then Archbishop of Manila, Basilio Sancho de Santas Junta y Rufina, ordered the transfer of the image of the Nazareno to the church in Quiapo, again providently placed under the patronage of Saint John the Baptist. The Black Nazarene made a lot of miraculous things. These are the survival of the image from the great fires that destroyed Quiapo Church in 1791 and 1929, the great earthquakes of 1645 and 1863, and the destructive Bombing of Manila in 1945 during World War II. Today the head and the cross stay on the Altar Mayor of the Minor Basilica, and the original body image of the Black Nazarene is used in the processions. Other, even smaller replica can be found in other churches.