A quick glance at how Dinagyang started
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In 1968, the replica of the Image of Sr. Sto. Nino de Cebu was brought to Iloilo City by Fr. Sulpicio Enderes, OSA, with a delegation of the Confradia de Cebu. The image and party were welcomed at the airport by then Parish Priest of San Jose, Fr. Ambrosio Galindrez, OSA, then Iloilo City Mayor Reinerio Ticao and devotees of Sr. Sto. Nino. The image is still enshrined at the San Jose Parish Church , where the novena in his honor is held every Friday.
In the same year, the first set of officers of the Cofradia del Sto. Nino, Iloilo chapter was elected. Some of the members who pioneered and introduced Ati-Atihan in Iloilo City were: Fr. Ambrosio Galindez, Fiscal Vicente Gengos, the first President of the Cofradia; Felicisimo Almalvez; Aurelio Deriada; Tommy Panaguiton; Doroteo fuentes, Mr. and Mrs. Espiridion Alcubilla; Dominador Rivera, Jr.; and Mrs. Rosa Olondriz Caram, who was the Hermana Mayor then.
In 1969, the first parish feast of Sr. Sto. Nino was celebrated. The culmination of the nine-day novena was the Fluvial Procession, from Quirino-Lopez bridge, up to Fort San Pedro followed by a foot procession back to the church. The first staging of the Ati-atihan was graced by the "Black Beauty" and the runner-up tribe of Kalibo. From then on, the celebration of the feast was held on a Sunday after the Kalibo Ati-atihan.
In 1970, the initial "Ati-atihan" contest was held in the afternoon of Sunday, with the assembly point at the provincial capitol, passing Iznart and J.M. Basa Streets up to Freedom Grandstand, which was the sole judging area then. The first champion was the Majapahit" Tribe of Compania Maritima.
From 1971-73, the participating tribes increased and the public became more attuned to the Ati-atihan. The "Mamau" tribe of the Nenaco was the undefeated champion for three consecutive years.
In 1974, Panaderia de Molo's "The Last Warrior" topped the contest. The tribe was invited by then First Lady Imelda Marcos, to grace the "Kasaysayan ng Lahi" showcase in Manila . Iloilo 's Ati-atihan delegation was the biggest attraction among all regional participants nationwide.
In 1975-1976, "Tribu Hamili" of Barangay Gen, Hughes garnered first place for two years. Up to this time, the Cofradia del Sr. Sto. Nino of San Jose Parish was still the prime mover, managing the feast and the Ati-atihan contest. The year 1976 was declared by the late President Ferdinand Marcos as Tourism Year and decreed that each province of the country will have a sort of tourist attraction to generate visitors to their locality. It was then that the city government took great interest in making the feast of Sto. Nino and the Ati-atihan as its tourist showcase. The Cofradia then turned over the management of the celebration to the city government because it could no longer handle it on its own, as the affair was becoming a big tourist attraction.
In 1977, more sectors began to get involved in the activity and it was then that they decided to change the name "Ati-atihan" so as not to duplicate that of Kalibo's. Among the many suggestions of a name, "DINAGYANG' merited the approval of the committee. The word was coined by the popular radio newscaster, the late Pacifico Sudario. (PIA from the records of the Cofradia del Sr. Sto. Nino)