Filipinos celebrate the Ati Atihan Festival, the oldest in the Philippines

While Guamanians celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception every December, this past January marked a similar celebration for the people of Aklan Province in the Central Philippines. Many Filipinos who now call Guam home may be familiar with the Ati-Atihan Festival, one of the most cherished traditions of the region.

The Ati-Atihan is believed to be the oldest festival in the Philippines. It’s held each January in the central province of Aklan. The week-long Catholic feast is marked by a grand procession in honor of the Santo Nino or the infant Jesus.

We are in Ibajay, the home town of Aklan governor Jose Enrique Miraflores, who says the event is steeped in centuries of tradition. "For the whole year its only the time that the Santo Nino will come out of this room where he’s placed. So that the people can see him, can rejoice with him. And I think that’s one of the most important traditions for us," he said.

The townspeople prepare all year for the event, and it seems the entire community of more than 50,000 turn out to pack the streets and the church for a glimpse of Santo Nino.

There are rousing cheers, too, familiar to Guamanians, with cries of "Biba!"

Governor Miraflores said, "For so long, for hundreds of years we are celebrating this, passed down from generations to generations because we believe with this power, the power of prayer to the Santo Nino, that he gives us everything that we ask from him."

The annual observance also honors the “Ati”, the indigenous people of Aklan and Panay Island. "This was celebrated by our native people here in Ibajay," the governor noted. "So to honor them, to have the experience, the tradition, way way ago we put the charcoal in our faces, in our bodies and to celebrate also the tradition that was handed down to us from generation to generation."

The marching, the drum beats, and the street dancing known as “Sad Sad” highlight the days long celebration. People from across the country and the world come to participate, and everyone from Guam is invited.

Miraflores said, "I hope someday you can visit us, you can experience the Ati Atihan festival, the Ati Ati festival of Ibajay Aklan.