Ati-Atihan

Kalibo, Aklan
January 13-19

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.

The ceaseless, 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 merriment. A familiar battle cry reaches your ears, and amidst all this confusion you remember where you are: Kalibo, Aklan. "Viva, Sto. Niño!"

The Ati-Atihan celebration is echoed in many parts of the country.

Ati-Atihan Festival (Filipino.Biz.ph)
Celebrated in honor of the Christ Child, the Santo Niño. Celebrants paint their faces with black soot in many different ways and are dressed in the most outstanding costumes as they dance to the rhythims of the drums. 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.
Ati-Atihan Festival (Wikipedia)
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 the Philippines.
Traditional Dress at the Ati-Atihan Festival, Kalibo, Philippines Styles Framed Art Poster
Participants in Traditional Dress at the Ati-Atihan Festival, Kalibo, Philippines Styles Framed Art Poster Print by Mark Daffey, 49x39
The Ati-Atihan Festival
The Ati-Atihan, held every January in the town of Kalibo in the province of Aklan on the island of Panay, is the wildest among Philippine fiestas. Celebrants paint their faces with black soot and wear bright, outlandish costumes as they dance in revelry during the last three days of this week-long festival.
Ati-Atihan Festival
The Ati-Atihan is a festival in honour of the Santo Niño, celebrated in the third week of January. 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 exceptional costumes. The dancing on the rhythms of the drums makes this festival comparable with carnival in Rio in Brazil!
Ati-atihan Festival in kalibo Aklan Panay Island
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.
Ati-Atihan Festival - Aklan Philippines, ati atihan festival
This began as a feast of reconciliation between the immigrant Malays from Borneo and the resident Ati until the Spanish injected some Catholic elements into it It is a three day colorful tribal feast events. It is a gigantic dance and masked ball, in which all inhibitions are thrown to the winds. "Puera pasma! Hala Bira! Viva Santo Nino!". The rousing cries echo through the little town of Kalibo, until the drums fall silent and everyone collapses exhausted.
Ati Atihan Festival 2009/2010
Almost all towns and cities in the Philippines have their own festivals, but one particular festival in the Visayas island group stands head and shoulders above the rest—the Ati Atihan Festival. Held every third Sunday of January, this jovial celebration transforms the quiet district of Kalibo, in the province of Aklan, into a lively and upbeat place filled with dancing, music and other merry-making activities. Known as the “Mother of All Festivals,” the Ati Atihan Festival has been celebrated for more than 700 years, and still ranks as one of the main festivals in the country.
Philippines Ati-Atihan Festival - A Colorful Celebration in ...
The Ati-Atihan is a three-day street parade in the Philippines that honors the Christ child (Santo Niño). The fiesta's main spectacle features dancers in blackface and colorful costumes marching to a bass rhythm down the streets of Kalibo, Aklan. The name actually means "playing at Ati", or imitating the Ati. The "Ati" are the dark-skinned aboriginal natives of Aklan, whose traditional garb and dances are caricatured in the fiesta's street parades.
World-famous Ati-Atihan Festival
The Ati-Atihan is a week-long celebration to honor the Feast of the Santo Niño or the Holy Infant Jesus. The Ati-Atihan is held every third Sunday of January. The Santo Niño has always been a favorite of Filipino Catholic devotees since the early days when the Philippines was still under the rule of Spain.

Source: Filipino.biz.ph