With His scepter( the history of the Kalibo and Ibajay Sto Nino atiatihan Festival)

PROLOGUE

On the advent of the civilization and strong desire of independence, Godofredo Ramos made his entry to the point of filling the vow of having the separation of aklan from the province of Capiz. We don not know the exact reason and the deeper roots of this historical event, yet one is sure; Aklan is now a progressive province with its own identity known throughout the world as the province of great Boracay island.

          Many is unaware of the silent history of this humble land. It is often describe as the land in the centre of the island of Aninipay( the old name of Panay) that lies in its center, the great Akean River that surpasses almost all of the municipality of the province. Many said, it is discovered by the Augustinian Friars on teir mission on the Visayas that made the advent of the propagation of Christendom in the province that was first to establish on the humble island of Sugbo( the old name of Cebu). And many other account that in this humble province the Code of Kalantiaw was first to to conceptualized, as well as the famed golden Salakot which was hand over to the capital of the said province as a gift and was symbolized and  treasured by putting a rotunda famed throughout the Philippines to have its head crowned with salakot( a farmer hat often see in the province who produces rice and often wore by farmer.)

          Many elders would claim in this humble province the mother of all Philippine Festival was witnesses; the Famed Atiatihan Festival. That originated in its capital, Calivo( the old name of Kalibo). Many historical account is attributed to this humble town, it is said that it is discovered by an married couple who found earnest joy in this town that made them lift for a thousand laugh that they named the town, sang-ka-libo. Many would say the couple found in this town a thousand worth ( did not state the currency) that they named the place, sang-ka-libo.

Yet the question, what is more notable, did the establishment of kalibo made its entry to made aklan known? Or is the AKEAN river the very beginning of everything. Many accounts are consulted yet we are finding the discerning the very close to reality and accountable account.          

Up until now, the verification of what came first, the establishment of the town Kalibo or the naming of the province AKEAN. Many elders still state many different conclusion.

Did the friars are the one? Or the couple was correct? Do the elders are true enough?

Let us now unfold the pieces of our own history.

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ABOUT KALIBO

alibo is a very successful and productive town. It is where the civilization in in the province dwells forth. Aside from being the crowded and noisy municipality, its holds the golden history the once embarked the pages of every history books in the country. It might not be the happiest place on the Philippines that claimed by the Mascara Festival nor the exhibiting the grandeur of the flowers of Panagbenga. Yet one is sure, apart from the famed Sinulog, Kalibo has the record of the oldest and mother of all Philippine festival; The Sto Nino Atiatihan Festival. Many accounts has been discussed to me by our forefathers and teachers as well as some hearsay of the elders of the town. There are many version, there are many and different way of telling the story, different interpretation of various variable including the culture and religion. Yet far enough. We will discuss the different versions and judge not what is more pleasing yet meaningful and contemplative to help us with lessons from the past applicable to our present situation

ACCOUNTS REGARDING ANIMISM

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efore the advent of the coming of the Spaniards it is said that the akeanons have their distinctive rituals for the so called gods that requires dances and often attributed to the Ati-ati

          ²Late 16^th century, the group of 10 datus( often called chieftain) made their way to the island of ⁵Aninipay ( old name of Panay) from their voyage from the island of Borneo that made them to know the Ati resident of the island. ³The local people of Panay, the Ati (negritos), a small and dark (black) kinky-haired people, sold them a small piece of land and permitted them to settle down in the lowlands. The Atis themselves, lived more upland in the mountains.

⁴The local people, the Atis, under Ati Marikudo, who lived upland sold them a piece of land and allowed them to settle in the lowlands. The price was a solid gold hat and a basin. When the settlement was established, Datu Puti left leaving Datu Sumakwel in charge. Because of a very bad harvest, the Atis went to the lowlanders (the Marayons) to ask for food. The Marayons shared their bountiful harvest so the Atis danced and sang in gratitude. 

 This is one of the account of the history of the Ati-atihan Festival; that is to commemorate the arrival of the datu. That is shy in the center of the town, lies the relief monument of the datus and the handling of the salakot.

     Original the concept of atiatihan was in a form of ¹animism(the belief in a supernatural power that organizes and animates the material universe)

Some time later, the Ati people were struggling with famine as the result of a bad harvest. They were forced to descend from their mountain village into the settlement below, to seek the generosity of the people who now lived there. The Datus obliged and gave them food. In return, the Ati danced and sang for them, grateful for the gifts they had been given.

ACCOUNTS FROM MSGRS. JOSE ITURRALDE

HISTORIA SANG SANTO NIÑO

CAG ATE-ATE -
(CON LICENCIA ECLESIASTICA)
MONSR. JOSE ITURRALDE -1975

I

t is said that passed by the elders of the municipality of Ibajay, in the humble Sitio of Boboc-on in the Barangay of Naile, an unnamed fisherman made his way to the river in the said sitio to catch, yet from the very moment of stepping to the river a certain he caught a wooded figurine that made a hindrance to him that he stepped on it. Three time this event occurred, and on the third time, he suddenly picked it up and put it in his belt bag and proceeded on his fishing.

 Upon arriving home he suddenly throw the wooden figurine to their dirty kitchen and slept. Yet they suddenly heard someone knocking at the door that hinders them from sleeping and from seeing it that it seems that the image is the one knocking their door then they had discovered that it is an image of the Sto. Nino (The Holy Child Jesus) they immediately placed it on their home oratory( altar). That was the first time that the image showed its supernatural origin. More miracles are attributed to the image, once, they placed the image to the center of the rice field and suddenly no chicken nor birds tried to spread the rice all over.

 The miracles spread like wildfire as if the whole pueblo knew it that made them to enthrone it to the parish in the town proper. Yet in an unknown reason upon each day, the image is making his way back to the house of the fisherman who caught the image that made them wonder.

Consulting the advise of the parish priest, the priest said that, just like the story of Jonah in the place on Nineveh (cf Jonah 6) that our Lord is due to the sins of the people of Nineveh, god will destroy the city, yet Jonah said that if the people would repent and make penitential acts like wearing of sackcloth and blacken their face with ashes. So be it that the faithful of ibajay did the same they wore sackcloth and blacken their face with the coal and shouting Viva Sto Nino( Long Live the Child Jesus1) and the image did not leave the parish again.

Once the moros were about to invade the town yet through the image the town was spared from the threat. It is once said that the moros could not sail to Ibajay because afar they could see the little child whom they are very afraid of roaming and guarding the shore. The made their vows of celebrating the feast of the holy Child Jesus every year as their devotion and also the re-enactment of the historical victory of the battle between the moros called “sayao” . And as in the past every year they commemorate the same event of the transfer of the image from Naile to Poblacion by processing the image from the Convent of the parish to the parish church. It is accompanied by merry making and dances in honor of the victory of the Holy Child Jesus. This is the beginning of the annual Sto Nino Atiatihan in Ibajay

ACCOUNTS FROM THE RECUERDO OF THE CATHEDRAL PARISH OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST- SHRINE OF STO NINO DE KALIBO

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he parish of Kalibo was used by the missionary as their base for evangelization during the early Christendom of our country. Through the kind-hearted Augustinian priest, Fr. Juan de Alba the Christianization of Kalibo was done. Historically speaking the Kalibonhons received the Word of God in the year 1569. Late in 21 of April in the year 1581, Kalibo was canonically erected as a parish with Saint John the Baptist as its patron saint: John the Baptist.

 Kalibo became a principal house of the Augustinian Order . The site of the church and the convent was in the noble barrio of Laguing Banwa for the reason that it is near Akean(river). The creations of more parishes became imperative. As parishes and towns were created, the name Akean went to the province and Kalibo remained with the parish. The first parish priest of Kalibo was Rev. Fr. Andres Ibarra(1581).

The parish of Kalibo used to be one of the parishes of the Diocese of Manila.

On July 15, 1976 the civil province of Aklan was canonically erected as the Diocese of Kalibo. The parish of Kalibo become the seat of the new bishop Most. Rev. Juan N. Nilmar, D.D

The altar of the old parish of Kalibo

In connection to the Christendom and Catholicism of Kalibo its titular patron played a vital role in this historical event.

In months of December to January it is common that you can hear various bands playing their instruments in the streets. Shouting, rejoicing, enjoying sort of. All these traditions is connected to our faith and homage to our Diocesan Patron: The Holy Child Jesus or locally recognized as Sto.Ñino. Its traditional feast day was the Second Sunday of January after Epiphany        which falls on January 6. But in the Year 1973 it is changed to the Third Sunday of January by the mandate of the Church.

The original image of Sto.Ñino de Kalibo

It is said that the name of the town: Kalibo was from the historical event                                                   where on the third Sunday of January a mass baptism was done, where  almost  a thousand natives were baptized to be a catholic connected to the feast of the Holy Child or the renowned  Sto.Ñino

 The image below is the original and first image of the Sto.Ñino      brought by the Augustinian missionaries in Kalibo in the 17th Century  as their companion a throughout their mission of  evangelization.  Many of the parishioners nowadays are not aware of the reason why we have this yearly festival: The Famed Ati-Atihan Festival. The first reason is our Kalibonhon’s great devotion to The Holy Child. But let us unfold the story behind the town’s conversion and great practiced devotion to this Patron of ours.

There is a version of the story that on the day of the feast of the Holy Child- Third Sunday of January a thousand of Kalibonhons are baptized under our catholic faith. This event marked the beginning of our practiced of shouting, rejoicing, beating of drums and other instruments to make our filial adoration and thanksgiving to the Child King. Sto.Ñino

This is the birth of our Ati-atihan Festival and our rich devotion to the Holy Child.

There is also a version of the story which declares that our God is with us(CF Mat 1:23)

Those times where the Spaniards are still ruling in our archipelago, some Moro pirates are visiting Aklan to kill men, abuse women and rob and loot and then take off.

 Aklan suffered a lot those times. But in God’s grace they organized a band to defend our province upon the yoke of the invaders. A certain time that a plan of assaulting came upon the Moros the Aklanon is ready to a bloody battle. The Moros had landed to the shore of Buswang and ready to feet the opponent fleet. During the battle both parties are surprised with the presence of an unknown person in red garb wielding a cane and attacking the Moros. The defenders saw the person who fought with them in the figure of the Child King. This event helped the conversion and Christendom of the said town and increased their devotion and homage to the patron saint.

            As a sign of their great joy they held a feast for the victory against the Moros and thanksgiving to their patron: The Holy Child. The facts remains that we have the Ati-atihan, that is done by our inhabitants of these places in honor of Señor Sto.Ñino in their strong faith in the Holy Child as their God who deserves their reverence and devotion.

As a sign of homage to the dear patron saint the Kalibonhons enthroned the original image of the Señor Sto.Ñino de Kalibo to the center top of the retablo mayor of the main altar of the Cathedral of Kalibo. 

           

At present the parish made a replica of the original image of the Señor enshrined located at the eastern wing at the front portion of the parish. It is open for public veneration

Way back in 1982 or earlier when so many people bitten by the hug to imitate Kalibo’s Ati-atihan, Kalibonhons thought of putting up a symbol which would serves as an identity, a rallying point to let Kalibo’s celebration of Sto.Ñino stands out distinct and unmistakable over all others,’ deserving of its age-old world fame and that symbol was to be none other than a big image of the  Señor Sto.Ñino

When this idea was submitted to Bishop Nilmar, it was favorably accepted. The title given to the image was Sto.Ñino  de Mil Almas which means Holy Child of Thousand Souls. This ideas is derived from the historical tradition that on the feast day of the Holy Child a thousand parishioners was baptized. Hence the town’s name Kalibo was from Isa ca libo.

            The life-sized image is inspired with the Sto.Ñino de Padua. IT is considered as the biggest and comeliest of face of the Holy Child that could be found in the country and probably in the whole world as it stands 6’5 from base to the tip of his crown. A well attended public blessing of the image was done on January 7, 1983 by Bishop Juan Nilmar

            The Sto.Ñino  de Mil Almas which has been venerated in Kalibo, considered as the official image of the Diocese. Comes at the last among the carroza in the late afternoon Sunday procession which culminates the yearly traditional feast of the Señor Sto.Ñino de Kalibo.

The name Aklan is often attributed to a humble province where the famed Boracay is situated also the birthplace of the Renowned Jaime Cardinal Sin yet many is on confusion with the long river that covers the center of the province locally known as Akean.

With the advent Madgellan that once arrived in Cebu to propagate the Catholic Faith and to irradicate heresies by the natives with the help of our Lord some various congregation missionaries are making their task of spreading the catholic faith. Once the Augustinian reached our humble land(not a province before) They have made their mission in action by establishing church and making the magesterium and catechism be heard to the faithful. With the cross and heart Augustinian successfully established a church near the river bank near the the capital of the province; Kalibo. This is lately situated in Laguinbanua yet by tragedy the church didn’t make years and the austinian decided to put up another church in Kalibo.

REQUERDO

Aklan has been the cornerstone of Christendom of the islands of Panay aside from Iloilo the rich history of this humble province lies on the providence and mercy of our Lord that once saved the capital of the province; Kalibo. This research is gathered through the help of a priest at the Cathedral Parish of Saint John the Baptist that let us borrow the book (Requerdo) containing the history of Cathedral and how our Lord made its entrance to the heart of the parishioners by his mercy in making Him known in the face of a little child; Sto Nino and let us discover how faith formed the province and Kalibo.

  

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Diaz,2013( 2018 Oct, 11) retrieved from https://anamiaclasiete1.wordpress.com/

( 2018 Oct, 11) retrieved from https://www.dictionary.com/

( 2018 Oct, 11) retrieved from http://www.philippinecountry.com/philippine_festivals/ati-atihan_festival.html

lizares(2016) ( 2018 Oct, 11) retrieved from https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/55070

( 2018 Oct, 11) retrieved from http://ilawodcourtyard.com/home

J Ituralde(1975) HISTORIA SANG SANTO NIÑO CAG ATE-ATE