KALIBO, Aklan – There will be no street dancing or “sadsad” in the January 2022 edition of Ati-Atihan Festival as a precautionary measure against the possible spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Pre-pandemic, the Ati-Atihan, staged in honor of Señor Santo Niño, attracted thousands of people doing the sadsad.
In January this year, the Ati-Atihan sadsad was also scrapped.
But not all Ati-Atihan activities for January 2022 have been ditched, stressed Mayor Emerson Lachica.
The festival next month will be for a week – from Jan. 10 to 16. It will still have events that showcase the vibrant spirit of Ati-Atihan. These are the following:
* inter-barangay mosaic contest
* “Bendisyon” photo contest
* Pinta Ati (Ati-Atihan-themed painting contest)
* “Suksok ni Santo Niño” costume design contest
* Miss Kalibo Ati-Atihan beauty pageant
Novena prayers and daily masses at the Saint John the Baptist Cathedral will also be celebrated.
The name “Ati-Atihan” means “to imitate the Ati”, the local name of the Aeta people, the first settlers of Panay Island and other parts of the archipelago.
The festivity was originally a pagan celebration to commemorate the Barter of Panay, where the Ati accepted gifts from Bornean chieftains called datu, who fled with their families to escape a tyrannical ruler, in exchange for being allowed to dwell in the Ati’s lands. They celebrated with dancing and music, with the Borneans having painted their bodies with soot to show their gratefulness and camaraderie with the Ati who had dark skin.
Later on, the festivity was given a different meaning by the Church by celebrating the acceptance of Christianity, as symbolized by carrying an image of the Holy Child or Infant Jesus during the procession.
The festival consists of religious processions and street parades, showcasing themed floats, dancing groups wearing colorful costumes, marching bands, and people sporting face and body paints.
The street parade is known as sadsad, which is also what the locals call their way of dancing where the foot is momentarily dragged along the ground in tune to the beat played by the marching bands.
Even though the festival was given a Christian meaning, the tradition of people painting their face and body, in honor of the Ati, has continued. Christians and non-Christians join the celebration which attracts tourists from different parts of the country as well as foreigners. It has inspired other Philippine Festivals such as the Dinagyang of Iloilo City and Sinulog of Cebu. thus, it is known as the “mother of all Philippine festivals”./PN
