The story behind Ati-atihan

In 1975 Catholic priest Msgrs. Jose Iturralde wrote the history of the Ati-atihan could be
traced to the old fishermen couple in Barangay Naile in the western part of the province.
Iturralde said that in the early-1700s, an unnamed male fisherman went into the river to
catch fish. But along the way, he considered it unfortunate that he caught a piece of wood,
instead of fish. He tried to throw the wood away, but it repeatedly returned to his net.
Dismayed, he decided to bring the wood home and threw it in a pile to use as fuel to cook
their meal. The fisherman with his wife sleeps for a while and later they heard a beating
sound nearby. When they look where the sound beatings where, they found the piece of
wood has carving of a child.

The fishermen then decided to place it in their altar. From there on, the family received
blessings, including good fish harvests. Several weeks passed, and the fisherman decided
to seek advice from a priest.
The priest asked the fishermen to place the wood at the Ibajay Parish. Several days later,
the residents wondered why the piece of wood always disappeared and was repeatedly
found at the roof of the fisherman’s house.

The Ibajay residents interpreted the incident as a call for them to seek forgiveness of their
sins. Part of their penance was for the residents to blacken their faces with coal and to dress
in rags. After doing this, the piece of wood no longer left the parish.
One day, a group of Spaniards known as the Moros from nearby Mindoro province tried to
invade the town of Ibajay. The residents fought back, dedicating their victory to the piece of
wood. Until now, the symbolic fight between the natives against the Spaniards is being
commemorated as part of the Ibajay Ati-atihan Festival.

Source: https://kaliboaklan.gov.ph/legend-of-the-ati-atihan-fest-in-aklan/
(Side note: pwede tayo mag base ng story line ng sayaw natin dito like paano yung flow as a
whole)

This is a celebration in honor of the Infant Jesus, the town’s patron. Ati-Atihan, observed in
honor of the Child Jesus. Ati-atihan means ‘making like Atis,’ that is, pretending to be like the
aboriginal natives that once inhabited Aklan. This involves smearing oneself with soot to
darken the skin and dressing up in tribal finery. The start of the procession is signaled by
drums and whistles, and later punctuated by shouts of “Hala Bira!”

Source: https://www.tpb.gov.ph/events/ati-atihan-festival/
(Side note: pwede natin i-pang sigaw eme yung Hala Bira)