Ati-Atihan Festival Mural - Kalibo, Philippines
Posted by: 
silverquill
N 11° 42.499 E 122° 22.066
51P E 431101 N 1294377
This colorful wall mural celebrates the annual Kalibo Ati-Atihan Festival held each January, dating back perhaps as early as 1212 celebrating the settlement in this area on the isalnd of Panay.
Waymark Code: WMB77W
Location: Philippines
Date Posted: 04/14/2011
Views: 2
Benny O. Tirazona begins his history of this Mardi Gras-like fesival in these paragraphs.
"Ati-Atihan is making one's self like the Ati or Aeta or pretending to be one. Kalibo's "frenzied and raucous" historical and religious festivity observed every second week and culminating on the 3rd Sunday of January came from that intent. Citizens, tourist and pilgrims in this town smear themselves with soot or any blackening substance to look like an Aeta-queer, but true.
Ati-Atihan is believed to have started in the year 1212 when Borneans led by the ten Datus packed themselves in several boats or "baeangays," (barangay) and crossed the seas to escape the unpopular regime of Sultan Makatunaw, Then landed in Panay Island and established the first community of the brown race in this country and the first union of states in Southeast Asia - the Confederation of Madyaas.
Few have the knowledge that the first Ati-Atihan was celebrated to seal a peace pact that united two races and peoples - the Aetas and the Malays with totally different cultures and spiritual creeds to embrace each other and give way to an enduring legacy of reconciliation that gave birth to the Philippine Nation. The commemoration of the Ati-Atihan Festivals in essence has become significant at this point in time when the entire nation is being swept with social, economic and political crises." Whence Came Kalibo Ati-Atihan
This mural with its bright colors depicts scenes of the festival with the flamboyant costumes and dancing. In typical Philippine fashion the names of the politicians along with the Kalibo Sto. Niño Ati-Atihan Foundation which works along side the government for the betterment of Kalibo. And, one might also think this is a commercial mural with the prominent display for San Miguel Brewery, the Philippines leading domestic beer, but they sponsor many things with their logo on everything from the Kalibo Airport sign, to billboards.
There is no other identification of the building where this is located, but it is near the Kalibo hospital.