Dinagyang Festival – to commemorate the Christianization of the natives of Iloilo City

DINAGYANG FESTIVAL

The Festival

Every 4th weekend of January, Dinagyang Festival is celebrated to commemorate the Christianization of the natives of Iloilo City in honor of the Holy Infant Jesus, just right after the festivals of Sinulog in Cebu, and the Ati-atihan in Aklan.
It is a recreation of the Ati-atihan of Ibijay, in Aklan by the Confradia del Santo Nino de Cebu in Iloilo, as the natives in costumes, and ashes and soot are all over their bodies, dance in the streets to immitate the Atis celebrating the pact with the people from Borneo.
The Dinagyang Festival or simply Dinagyang, is divided into three events: the Streetdancing of the Atis, Streetdancing of Kasadyahan, and the competition for Miss Dinagyang.
Dinagyang aims to promote the provinceís rich culture and tradition through locally made products, spectacular scenery and tourist attractions, and trade fairs organized by the local government, showcasing collection of crafts, arts, and literary works for tourists and visitors, and an array of local products such as handicrafts, wood and metal crafts, and agricultural and gardening products.

Origin

Celebrating in honor of the Santo Nino, Dinagyang is held to commemorate the arrival of Malay settlers to Panay, and the agreement between them and the natives of Panay, the Atis.
Dinagyang began after a priest of local Roman Catholic parish name Rev. Fr. Ambrosio Galindez introduced the devotion to the Santo Nino in November of 1967. A replica of the Santo Nino de Cebu was brought by Fr. Sulpicio Enderez to Iloilo as a gift to the Parish of San Jose.

History

The Marcos Government ordered various regions in the Philippines devise ways of boosting Philippine tourism and development through festivals and celebrations in 1977. Ati-atihan was promptly identified by the people of Iloilo as their project yet the local parish could not keep up with the growing challenges of this festival. Dinagyang is the less eleborate version of the grandiose Ati-atihan, but celebrated with the same spirit.

In Succession

Today, celebration of Dinagyang showcases the main part of the festival, consisting of tribes that mimics the Atis, dancing in celebration. Participants are required to paint their skin brown and wear costumes made only from native materials. A lot of tribes are organizations from various high schools. Some would even recruit private sponsors, receive subsidiary from the organizers, assuring to be held the best tribe.
As people of Iloilo worship the Santo Nino with dramatized offerings and prayers, drum beats can be heard across the streets, with people dancing in colorful ethnic costumes and shouting ìViva Senor Santo Nino!î.

Please Vote on our Polls

Come and See the Beauty of the Philippines!
See the Philippine Photo Gallery