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EveryParampara

Traditions of Kalibo

A town on Panay island where the Ati-Atihan festival has people dancing in black soot and bright costume.

Kalibo is the capital of Aklan province in the central Philippines. Each January it hosts the Ati-Atihan festival, one of the oldest and loudest festivals in the country. The name refers to the Ati people, the island's first inhabitants, and celebrates a story of friendship between them and early settlers.

Kalibo: Kalibo, Philippines, March, 2016
Photo: Alexey Komarov, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ati-Atihan

Dancers paint their faces and bodies with soot and wear bright costumes of feathers and shells. They dance in the street to drumbeats, shouting Hala bira, keep going. The festival also honours the Santo Nino, and the final day is marked by a solemn procession. Many walk long distances for religious vows.

At the table

Aklan is famed for piña cloth, woven from pineapple leaf fibre, and for fresh seafood. Sweet rice cakes, suman and kakanin, are served during festivals. Visitors share meals in homes, since Aklanon hospitality means a stranger at the gate is fed.

Signature traditions of Kalibo

Ati-AtihanThe Kalibo festival.Dinagyang FestivalA neighbouring Panay festival of the Santo Nino, held in January.

Also part of it, and being written: Piña (The pineapple fibre cloth of Aklan.).

A trail idea for Kalibo

  1. Kalibo Cathedral See the old church in the town centre.
  2. Aklan Piña weavers Visit a weaver's workshop.
  3. Boracay A short ride away, a famous island beach.
About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

KindSpiritualFestivalRite of passageTable customSeasonalDressPerformanceEtiquetteCraftGameFolkloreHomeCeremony
MealBreakfastLunchDinnerSupperTea-time and snacking customsTea, coffee and drinking ceremoniesSweets given and sharedFeasts and festival mealsFasting and breaking the fast

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Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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