The Philippines’ Ati-Atihan Festival
The third Sunday in January is the Ati-Atihan Festival, one of the most colorful festivals in the Philippines. The celebration has its roots in the 13th century, when a handful of families escaped Borneo for a new life in the Philippines. These new arrivals, members of the Ati tribe, were darker skinned than the existing, most Malayan, inhabitants of the islands.
Later, the city of Kalibo in Northwest Phillipines, celebrated the contribution of the Ati by darkening their faces and parading in the streets. During the Spanish occupation of the islands, a Christian element was added to the festival and today, the celebration combines a Mardi-Gras-like parade with a mass for Santo Nino (the Christ child).
(photo credit: explore iloilo/cc license)
Tags: ati-atihan-festival, philippines-holidaysRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Asian Holidays
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