
Five months ago, my boyfriend and I had another epic adventure in the island of Panay. Our first agenda: Kalibo, Aklan.

For the first time, I was able to experience Ati-atihan Festival – the oldest festival in the Philippines which goes all the way back to the 1200′s and has been celebrated for more than 800 years now.

Coined as “the Mother of all Festivals”, the Ati-atihan Festival is held annually in January to commemorate
Sto. Niño, the patron saint of Kalibo. But before the Spanish colonization, it was originally a pagan festival to honor an anito god of the Ati people, the first inhabitants of Panay Island.

Ati-atihan means “to be like the Ati people”. If you’re Filipino, you know that word repetition may denote roleplay. Think “balay-balay” or “bahay-bahayan”.
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Read the full story of its history here.

During the festival, locals smear or cover their faces and bodies with black soot to honor the dark-skinned Ati people
(also known as Negritos by the way).

The major streets of Kalibo were filled with an endless sea of people participating with what the locals call “sadsad”, a nonstop parade of street dancing and merrymaking as a thanksgiving devotion.

The steady, rhythmic pounding of the drums and xylophones never stop. Echoing late into night till the sun rises again – it literally goes on for days. The beat is so intoxicating that one cannot help but just dance away without care.

Adorned with elaborate, colorful costumes, the blackened street dancers also parade and dance to the beat along the streets of Kalibo.

Unlike other festivals we’ve been to, Ati-atihan allows everyone to be a part of the joyous, colorful parade and not just be mere spectators.

If drinking is your thing, be ready to take free shots from strangers in the most unconventional ways possible.

And yes, that guy is drinking beer right out of a plunger. Don’t worry. That’s clean and brand new, of course, in case you’re wondering.

Night and day, day and night… It is unfathomable how the people of Kalibo are able to sustain such festive momentum. The flow of their energy is unparalleled.
Popular practices on Ati-atihan festival include dancing, parading, costume play, feasting and many more.





Ati-atihan festival is like a cosplay convention, gay parade and Mardi Gras rolled into one. It’s definitely my favorite Philippine festival so far!
Just when think you’ve seen everything, you haven’t. Check out our vlog to see more of this year’s Ati-atihan Festival. The video may not be viewable on some mobile devices.
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