Rainy Sunday for Kalibo Ati-Atihan festival

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

KALIBO, Aklan - The weather bureau is right: rainy Sunday celebration of the 2011 Kalibo Ati-Atihan Festival.

But, the rainshowers did not dampen the festive spirit of ten of thousands of devotees and tribes out to celebrate the "Kaadlawan" of the Feast of Senor Sto. Nino.

At 5 p.m. today, the weather forecast issued by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) indicated that the skies of Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will be most cloudy with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms. Moderate to strong winds blowing from the northwest will also prevail over Luzon and Visayas, it said.

The Kaadlawan is the religious procession-dance in the afternoon of Sunday. The procession of devotees from all walks of life is celebrated by the beating of drums and silent prayers for divine blessings of Senor Sto. Nino.
Aside from the devotees-revellers, foreign, local tourists and balikbayans also flocked to Saint John the Baptist Cathedral and the main streets to witness the unique Ati-Atihan festival and to pay homage to the Holy Child.

This morning, the scheduled pilgrims's mass at 7 a.m. held every year at the Kalibo Pastrana Park was transferred at Saint John the Baptist Cathedral due to occasional rainshowers. The holy mass was officiated by Antique Bishop Jose Romeo Lazo, former Bishop of Kalibo.
At 3 p.m. today, the devotional procession by thousands of devotees, guests and visitors from Saint John the Baptist Cathedral to various streets of Barangay Poblacion, this town, is the climax of the weeklong Ati-Atihan festival, known to many as the "Mother of All Philippine Festivals."

Here you will hear the lasting shouts of "Viva cay Senor Sto. Nino" in the Sunday spectacle of Ati tribes and devotees gather together for the annual festival.

During the feast, some 500 police officers from the Police Regional Office and Aklan Police Provincial Office were deployed in nine police community assistance centers and checkpoints. The police force is augmented by force multipliers from the Philippine Army, reservists, student police, auxiliary police, communication groups and volunteers.

For the past two days, 30 contesting tribes in the Balik-Ati, Modern, Tribal Small and Tribal Big categories converged around the town to join the yearly festival.

Still, thousands of revelers poured into the main streets to brave the elements - on and off rainshowers, throughout the afternoon.

They showed the Aklanon spirit of devotion or pagdayaw, no matter the conditions.

Spectators and fest-goers are seen lining up the streets and they are putting up their umbrellas to watch and to take part in the centuries-old celebration of "ati-ati".

Over-all, the festival went on as planned by the Kalibo Sto. Nino Ati-Atihan Foundation, Inc. (Kasafi) headed by chairman Albert Menez.

In the book written by Marcela Reyes-Tinagan, the cultural festival has become a social movement - an expressive behaviour pattern where people collectively adapt to change and individuals find emotional release and an expression of their beliefs.

Tinagan also stated in her book that the Kalibonhons, young and old, always looked to this Ati-Atihan event. And, wherever they were, they would go home, for this was a panaad or panata, a personal devotion.

"(Ga uli kita gid ay fiesta it Santo Nino.") (One definitely goes home because it is the feast of the Holy Child.)