BY
BOY RYAN B. ZABAL
Devotees
of Senor Sto. Nino de Kalibo and visitors for the Ati-Atihan festival celebration
next year got all their wishes.
Rev.
Fr. Ulysses Dalida, administrator of Diocese of Kalibo, said the Sto. Nino
Ati-Atihan festival dates or events will be celebrated as scheduled despite the
visit of Pope Francis to the country in January 2015.
Pope
Francis will visit the disaster-hit areas in the Visayas from January 15 to 19,
2015 while the Ati-Atihan festivities are celebrated from January 9 to 18, 2015.
Kalibo
Sto. Nino Ati-Atihan Festival Foundation, Inc. (Kasafi) chairman Albert Menez
said the papal visit to the Philippines will be meaningful also to the
devotees, balikbayans and visitors of Ati-Atihan festival.
Two
weeks ago, netizens rally behind the festival celebration and the visit of Pope
Francis as the stories started going viral and widely shared in the social
media.
A netizen said “mas mayad don nga iya imaw sa country
while we are celebrating too our devotion... mas ma-appreciate na pa do atong
pagtoo.”
“Tuloy nyo na sa dating original scheduled on January 9
to 18, 2015.....See u soon mga Aklanons in Kalibo Ati-Atihan Festival
!.....Naka-booked na kami sa airlines at hotel-reservation, since March 2014 pa.”
A balikbayan also stressed “ang hirap magbook para lang
sa dates na ito. Nakabook na kami ng flights. Nakafile na rin ng leave.”
“If ever, the Pope can possibly visit Aklan and witnessed the
Sto. Niño Ati-Atihan festival.”
“Umagiman ro bagyo, depression, Hapon ag guerra, owa gid ha papundo ro pag kasadya naton sa
adlaw ko mahae nga Sto. Nino. Indi eon kinahangean nga i-isdog ro celebrasyon
it fiesta ni Sto. Nino.”
Kalibo
mayor William Lachica and vice mayor Madeline Regalado had supported the ‘popular’
call to celebrate the Ati-Atihan festival next year from January 9 to 18.
Ati-Atihan
festival dubbed the ‘Mother of All Philippine Festivals” in honor of Senor Sto.
Nino is a religious and tourism festival held annually in Kalibo, Aklan.
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