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Ati-Atihan'09

Here's this year's Ati-Atihan shcedule...


797th Kalibo ati-atihan festival
Calendar of Activities



SPIRITUAL STREET DANCING
1st week to 3rd Sunday of January 2009, Principal Streets of Kalibo
The true spirit of Ati-atihan. An act of piety to ensure miracle for barren women to bear children, heal the body from maladies beyond medical remedy, prosperity in business or simply for fun and excitement.




9-DAY NOVENA
January 10-18, 2009, Kalibo Cathedral
A traditional religious activity in reverence to the Sto. Niño where believers pledge vows in exchange of blessings and supplications and is gaining worldwide recognition and acceptance for its miracle of healing.



HALA BIRA ATI-ATIHAN NIGHTS
January 12-18, 2009, Magsaysay Park
Experience an unforgettable and endless dancing and partying with the rumbling and energetic music of live bands starting in the early evening till the wee hours of the morning. Join the crowd in the almost never-ending excitement- of “snake-dancing” and enjoy the appetizing food and drinks served at kiosks in and around the park.



KAEAN-AN SA PLAZA (Food Fest)
January 12-18, 2009, 9:00a.m.-12mn, Pastrana Park
The perfect place to re-energize yourselves. The Food Festival at the town plaza presents fast foods and different culinary specialties from Aklanon, Filipino to international culinary cuisines.



VISUAL ART EXHIBIT
January 12-18, 2009, Museo it Akean
Awe-inspiring paintings and sculptures created by members of the Aklan Visual Arts Association adding vibrance to the various museum pieces for your eyes to feast on.



PAGDAYAW
January 13, 2009, 2:00 p.m., Principal Streets of Kalibo
All out Ati-Atihan street dancing for students from public and private high schools and colleges in Aklan.



SADSAD PANAAD
January 14, 2009, 8:00 A.M., Principal Streets of Kalibo
A parade of teachers and faculty from all public schools and colleges in the province of Aklan in their colorful costumes.



ATI-ATIHAN PRODUCTS SHOWCASE
January 12-19, 2009, 8:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m., Pastrana Park
Showcases beautiful ornamental plants and quality Aklanon products made from piña,abaca,raffia,nito and clay materials handcrafted by local artisans.



HIGANTE PARADE & AKLAN FESTIVAL SHOWDOWN
January 14, 2009, 2:00 p.m., Principal Streets of Kalibo
A colorful parade of the festival winners and Sto. Niño devotees from the 17 towns of Aklan highlighted by the giant images of cultural and historical significance.



PAHILOT OR PAEAPAK
January 14-18, 2009, Kalibo Cathedral
A unique age-old faith healing rite of the miraculous Sto. Niño of Kalibo that attracts devotees worldwide for curing diseases.



BARTER OF PANAY REENACTMENT
January 15, 2009, Magsaysay Park
The legendary reenactment of the arrival of ten (10) Datus and the Purchase of Panay from the Aetas by the Malays. Witness the origin of the Mother of all festivals unfold before your eyes and its evolution into the present day praisefest.



3 DAYS FINAL HURRAH
January 16-18 2009, Major Streets of Kalibo
Experience 3 days and nights of jubilating revelry with soot-smeared Akeanons, local and foreign tourists dancing in wild abandon to the deafening sound of numerous drums, cymbals and lyres shouting, “Hala Bira Puera Pasma! Viva kay Señor Sto. Niño. Viva!’



ATI-ATIHAN CONTEST
January 17, 2009, 7:00 a.m., Major Streets of Kalibo
Tribal and modern groups, Balik-Ati tribes and individually costumed participants dance on the streets to the beat of the drums and lyre in their vibrant and colorful costumes.



BLESSING OF CHILDREN
January 17, 2009, 11:00 a.m., Kalibo Cathedral
Children of different ages gather for the traditional blessing to honor the Holy Child officiated by the Bishop of Kalibo.



DEVOTEES DAWN ROSARY & PROCESSION
January 17, 2009, 4:00 a.m., Kalibo Cathedral
Pray the dawn rosary with devotees and pilgrims. A moment of deep silence before the festival music rises into a crescendo.



FIREWORKS DISPLAY
January 17, 2009, 11:00 p.m., Magsaysay Park
A spectacular display of colorful fireworks in the eve of the Ati-atihan’s big day. See the most dazzling show of thousands of vibrant lights as they pierce the night sky.



TRANSFER OF STO. NIÑO IMAGE
January 18, 2009, 6:30 a.m., Kalibo Cathedral to Pastrana Park
The traditional transfer of the venerated miraculous image of Sto. Niño of Kalibo from the Kalibo Cathedral to Pastrana Park for the field mass celebration. Witness the applause of drums and lyre of Ati Tribes in reverence to the Sto. Niño.



PASAEAMAT
January 18, 2009, 7:00 a.m., Pastrana Park
A concelebrated field mass offering devotees, guests and tourists flock insolidarity with Ati-atihan Tribes as they take part in the highest form of Catholic worship to God.



TORCH PARADE & PROCESSION
January 18, 2009, 3:00 p.m., Principal Streets of Kalibo
Join the Ati-atihan groups parading for hours together with their beautifully adorned Sto. Niño caros and devotees carrying Sto. Niño image and bamboo torches that create floods of lights beginning at the town plaza and ending at the Kalibo Cathedral.



PAGPADUNGOG
January 18, 2009, 7:00 p.m., Magsaysay Park
The finale and last hurrah of the three- weeklong festival. After a day of street dancing and gastronomic feast in praise of the Sto. Niño, winners of the Ati-atihan Contest give their last energy as they receive their awards


Here's some pictures of last year's event, Ati-Atihan 2008... Enjoy...^^





































Bauhinia's Pinoy Food with a Twist

Sometimes we get oh so stressed out because of the daily routines we experience. But, we cannot just hop in our trucks and seek for adventure because we all know we'll be screwed by the boss in the morning. Unless its a weekend, I bet you don't want try. So, what do we usually do?? That's right ladies and gents... COMFORT food. And if you want to enjoy some of the finer things in life , try the unique food that they offer in Bauhinia. Its located at The Avenue, Pison Compound, Mandurriao.




They offer Filipino dishes with a twist coupled with sleek and modern ambiance. The waiters are really nice and really polite. Thumbs up to the management.

After placing our orders, I really liked it when they served the drinks first. Most restaurants often neglect this. As you can see, their iced tea is really large. Res Ipsa Loquitor... Even though its not filled to brim and some parts of it is just froth, its still massive. I'm a big person, and I had no problem quenching my thirst and I find the taste just right.

Bauhinia Iced Tea

Since we had to photograph the facade of the restaurant, the tacos were a little soft when we went back to our table. But I still find it amusingly delicious. The smoked taste from the fish was really there and I found the texture just right for my taste.

Smoked Tangigue Tacos

Next to go down my palate was the Bulalo steak. Its really tender, good for people who have dentures. Its sauce is also good. But, as the waiter said, "its just good for two". And he wasn't lying, it was... Honesty always scores a point in my book.

Bulalo Steak

Although I'm allergic to crustaceans, I was really curious about the Sugpo sa Aligue at Sili. Which is made of tiger prawns cooked with coconut-crab fat sauce. And it did not disappoint me. If you're allergic to crustaceans too, just bring some anti-histamine. Its something that you don't want to miss tasting.

Sugpo sa Aligue at Sili

At this point, I really admire that Bauhinia has really good food presentation. They add a bit of flair to the dish. On to the Tinuom nga Pusit. Its presentation is good, and like a gift, it gives you a bit of excitement when you're opening it. Smoke puffs out and after that you'll see white gold... I was really amused at the small pieces of super white squid. But the taste was just OK. Not much to write about. Ah... What is life without a little disappointment.

Tinuom nga Pusit

Their Pandan Rice was a bit lacking of that Pandan aroma and taste. But the Longganisa Fried Rice was just right to satisfy us.

And to the dessert. We asked the waiter the best cheese cake that they can offer. So we ended up getting the Ube flavored cheesecake. All I can say is that its not really up to my taste. I cant taste the cheese and I was really disappointed because I did not find it delicious. But what I liked about it is that it wasn't too sweet.

Bauhinia Ube Cheesecake

To sum it all up, "Will I return to Bauhinia?"... Its a definite YES! Except for some forgivable disappointments (hey, nobody's perfect), the place is great. It amazed and amused me and I hope when I go back, I would feel the same way.

Something nice to know about the word Bauhinia...
Its pronounced as bau-hin-i-a (baw-hin-ee-uh; bo-hin).
Bauhinia or Bauhinia Malabarica (scientific name) is a small but stocky tree growing to a height of 8 to 10 meters which can be found in the Philippines. Its common names are Alambangbang (Tagalog), Alibangbang (Tagalog, Bisaya, Pampanga), Balibamban (Pampanga), Kalibanbang (Pangasinan, Tagalog) and Kalibangbang (Ilokano).
There are many species of Bauhinia. They share the 'butterfly' configuration of the leaves. Alibangbang is an Ilonggo word for butterfly. Other scientific names are Piliostima Acidum, Bauhinia Tomentosa and Bauhinia Purpurea.

Conquering Patag

Circumstance can be compared to the Devil. At first, it takes you to an all time high and when you feel like a million bucks, a crack on the Earth suddenly appears and it swallows you all the way to hell. I have experienced it while I was applying for the NLE and it reminded me of a time in my life that I'll never ever forget. In short, I still have PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) about it. And here's the story...

My friends invited me to go to Silay, Negros to have fun at Patag again, maybe for the last time because it was just a month after our graduation and we feared that it was going to be our last time together on an adventure. Since I was nostalgic about my deleted shots about Patag, I went for it. Happily arriving at Bacolod, I said to myself "I'll try to take some of my old shots" with a smirk on my face.

The next day, we went to Patag riding in our friend's van. The driver was driving like he had a bad case of diarrhea. My shots on the way were limited. I had to put my not so small body through the window just to take some shots. It was very difficult since the road was rough at certain points.

portal to Patag

as I've said, the road weren't that nice, lots of big trucks carrying
sugar cane chug on the dirt roads


this shot was taken at about 60 kmh on the dirt road

a lonely tree stands in the sea of sugar canes

We joked around with our friend when he asked where we were, we said "near the sugar canes!" and its full of sugar canes all the way to Patag. ^^

I still remember the first time I smelled the air on the way to Patag, and I thought to myself, its like love, its sweeter the second time around.

The moment we arrived in Patag, I quickly took some of my cliché shots and here they are:
it was very cloudy that day and it rained on some parts of the mountain range

you can still see Panay island on the other side

we took a short hike to a cold spring pool and took a dip at their ice cold waters

One of the best things about Patag is that there are lots of small critters to photograph...
these three were all unwilling subjects, but with some persuasion,
they stood still for about 2 sec. for this exposure

UBFC(Ultimate Bug Fighting Championship): Let's get it on!

I was busy the whole night photographing some of the insects. The next day, we hiked towards some of the falls...
The path to one of them was very difficult. We had to literally hang on the branches just to avoid getting our stuff soaked. At this time, I still had no phobia about water and electronics.^^
who said that there were no Yin and Yang Buddhas..

another thing about Patag is that lots of really big ferns can be seen around

our giude told us that this falls was still virgin. According to him, its too dangerous to go there, even for a seasoned veteran like him.

These shots were taken on the way to another falls...
I was in awe the first time I went here, and I felt the same when I came back. I still remember finding a Pokemon gameboy cartrige here.

the Guardian
He was one of the two dogs that accompanied us in our journey. The first dog failed to return to camp. He was stuck because he cannot jump down a small cliff. This other dog followed us on the way to the second trip to the other falls.

this was my last shot for the day

After this shot, we went to another pool. It was nice there but we were unable to take a bath because they emptied the pool for cleaning and they were just starting to fill it up again. I saw this in-land crab, and tried to photograph it. But it retaliated to the pool. I followed it down. I told myself "I cant jump this with my camera", so I let my friend hold it because he was in the pool. When I jumped, I accidentally bumped into him and he accidentally dropped my cam on the water!!!!
Things slowed down a bit, I was on denial! I was so f*ckd-up. I was cured of my depression, and "here we go again!". I went from the top of the world to the pits of hell! We hiked through most of the mountain range, there were plenty of potential shots, but my mind was set to go back to Bacolod right away. In my rage, I never felt tired even though we walked several kilometers up-hill. When we arrived to camp, the fog rolled in, just to add ambience to my misery.
Several hours later we were in Bacolod finding a repair shop, but to no avail. I just distracted myself by going to the Panaad Festival. The next day, we again went to other shops in Downtown Bacolod. Again, to no avail.

On our last day in Silay, I tried to turn my cam on, and this was its first shot since it got soaked:
my friend Pogz is no longer innocent after our trip

I felt very happy that day. "Yes! Its still working!" On the way to the port, I took this shot:
But the glory was short lived, my camera displayed an error sign. Sh*t, hope's lost again...
I arrived at Iloilo, FINE... Freaked-out, insecure, neurotic and emotional.(from the Italian Job).
The next day, I went to a camera shop to get it fixed, but again, a miracle happend, it worked again, and to this day, it still does, with a dumb exposure meter though, and I can live with that...^^
this is the shot at the camera shop

A brief description of my camera...
Its a point and shoot cannon A550 and it fell lots of times, one from 12 feet when I accidentally threw it while doing a high-five with my bandmates on a contest and it got wet on Patag. Its a tough ass camera, and I'm glad it's still going, going, going (just like an indestructible Energizer bunny)...^^

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