KALIBO, Aklan – Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Sunday’s (Jan. 17) Ati-atihan Festival saw no dancing on the streets here.
People instead flocked to the Cathedral Parish of Saint John the Baptist to hear the annual Pilgrim Mass but even this was tightly regulated.
Only 400 people wearing facemasks and face shields were allowed inside the cathedral to ensure that physical distancing was observed.
Outside, a number of devotees with face shields and masks gathered, too.
The pandemic forced church officials to scale down the Pilgrim Mass in honor of Señor Sto. Niño (Holy Child Jesus).
Kalibo Bishop Jose Corazon Tala-oc acknowledged that the coronavirus posed significant challenges to the lives of everyone but cited the devotees for continually visiting the cathedral and joining liturgical celebrations.
“COVID-19 has impacted our social relationships, education and work dynamics, families, even the life of the Christian community. But we continue to celebrate and echo the life of the first Christian community. They were saying, ‘We could not live as Christians without the Eucharist, without the Day of the Lord,” said Tala-oc.
Ati-Atihan is a major tourism event in the capital town of Kalibo. Annually, it attracts thousands of people enjoying street dancing to the rhythmic beat of drums.
But this year, there was no Higante contest, Sinaot sa Kalye, flea market, Ati-Atihan Nights and motorshow.
In previous years, the Pilgrims Mass was celebrated at the cathedral’s front yard. Not this year.
The paeapak usually held outside the cathedral – an age-old faith healing rite where droves of devotees await their turn to be blessed by a lay minister with a wooden image of Señor Sto. Niño – was also held inside the cathedral.
Tala-oc reminded the faithful to be like “little children” to enter God’s kingdom.
“A child is simple, transparent and very trusting. A child can easily forget what happened yesterday. A child maybe ignorant in many things but we know there is nothing in a child to doubt the love of his or her parents,” said the bishop.
Taal-oc continued, “These are the attitudes that Jesus himself wants everyone to have, and so He invites us to have this in approaching in accepting the Kingdom of God so we can enter it.”/PN
