Wow Paradise Philippines is the tourists and travellers guide to Philippine destinations written in blog by a group of Filipino blogger. Information on culture, history, travel, food, and a great wonders and richness of the Philippines archipelago’s 7,107 islands.
In the province of Aklan, a week long festival is held to celebrate a traditional fiesta in honor of the Santo Niño. Held every third Sunday in the month of January, the Ati-Atihan festival is considered one of the most colorful and wildest festivals in the Philippines.
Black soot is painted on the faces of the participants and they wear bright, colorful and eccentric costumes while dancing during the last three days of the festivities.
Photos from Pbase.com, by Taleoflens
A festival to honor the Santo Niño, this fiesta is observed with processions, parades, lots of dancing and merriment.
The Ati-Atihan festival is opened with a mass to give emphasis to the festival’s religious subject.
A rosary procession follows on the second day of the festival whch then ends with a community mass. After the religious activities, the festival now heads on to its merrymaking.
However, the highlight of the festival has yet to begin. Carried out on the last day of the festivities, various groups representing different tribes show off their colorful costumes and wild dance moves to cap the festivities.
The Ati-atihan’s festival dance competition is truly marvelous. Competitors donned in different costume, all with different adornments to their outfits, dance to the drumbeats. The festival caps off with a final procession that shows different images of the Santo Niño carried in bamboo torches.
Experience a colorful and truly festive celebration with the Ati-Atihan festival. Dance to the beat of the drums and end the night with a masquerade ball that will take your breath away.
