BRINGING THE GAP
The early years of the Iloilo Dinagyang
Every fourth week of January, Iloilo City, capital of the province of Iloilo in Panay Island, celebrates its Dinagyang festival. Dinagyang, or literally merry-making, is characterized by choreographed dancing of “tribes” consisting of young men and, in some instances, young women. Members of these performing tribes don very colorful and outlandish costumes that are almost always made of local material, the remarkable précised movements of the performers are aided by a group of drummers who play various rhythmic beat patterns. Of course, all the performers are covered with black soot.
As to why the performers had to smear their bodies with soot can be explained by the Ati or Negrito element of the celebration which had its roots in the so-called coming of the ten Bornean datus and their families to Panay as told in the Maragtas. The relevant section says: “After the two parties have agreed on the barter, they decided to seal it off with merry-making. The Bornean Malays, to be in skin and spirit with their new-found friends, daubed their faces with soot, and happily danced together with the Atis.”
Again, as to how the Ati element of the celebration became merged with the devotion to the Sto. Niño is not really clear. One version is that the early organizers of the Ati-atihan, especially in Aklan, believed that the act of smearing one’s body with soot is emulating what the people of Nineveh in the Bible did to show their repentance to God. Their dressing of a sackcloth and their faces and bodies with ashes or soot were an act of penitence and sacrificial rite (Tabanar 1986).
The beggining of the Iloilo Dinagyang dates back to the years 1967 when a replica of the image of El Senior Santo Niño was first brought from Cebu to the San Jose Parish Church in Iloilo City through the efforts of its Augustinian parish priest. The image, accompanied by devotes from Cebu, was enthusiastically and warmly received by the Ilonggos.
During the first two years, the celebration was essentially religious in character. In 1969, however, the Ati-atihan tribe contest was initiated and became part of the cultural aspect of the celebration. The fluvial procession of the Sto. Niño image at the Iloilo River was then considered a prerequisite to the Ati-atihan foot parade which was followed by a concelebrated mass and procession.
Since its inception, the Iloilo Dinagyang, initially called the Iloilo Ati-atihan, had evolved in the 1970s into a more colorful and pompous affair to include the participation of more Ati-atihan and mardi-gras groups. Its name was changed to Dinagyang in the mid-1970s through the suggestion of a radio broadcaster in order for the festival to attain its own identity. In 1974, the festival played a vital role in the “Operation Balikbayan” of the Ministry of Tourism under the Marcos administration.
The activities in 1975 centered on the Ati-atihan and mardi gras contest but in 1976, street revelry and audience participation were encouraged. Where before people were mere spectators of the performance of various competing Ati-atihan tribes, this year’s festivities offered them a chance to freely gyrate in the streets, shedding off inhibitions and forgetting the cares, pressures and vexations of everyday life.
Adding significance to the pageantry was the participation in 1977 of a real Ati tribe from the mountains of Barotac Viejo. The tribes was invited by the organizers of Dinagyang and the Regional Association of National Government Executives to perform and display their native dances.
The mardi gras was basically the cultural aspect of the Dinagyang which later on became known as Kasadyahan. It was participated in by the different schools and institutions in the city of Iloilo. Mardi gras displayed a colorful array of costumes principally made of native fabric or clothing. Traditional costumes such as the patadyong, saya, camisa tsino, and barong tagalong were used. The participants were barefooted while performing, accompanied by the gaily decorated floats carrying the muse of each group. The presentations showed various Ilonggo folk dances, reenactment of Western Visayan history and legends, the celebration of a barrio fiesta, and many more.
The Ati-atihan contest, considered as the main event of the festival, was participated in during its first ten years by an average of 12 to 15 tribes every year, sponsored by the different commercial establishments in Iloilo City.
Through the years, substantial improvements have been observed in all aspects of the celebration – dance steps, costumes, tribe discipline and organization, drum beat, pageantry, awards, management, and publicity – making it a top festival attraction in the country.