21.01.09
Dressing up like an ‘Ati’
- Aklan, Ati-Atihan, Festivals, Religious Events, Tourism -
WHO says everyone wants to be fair-skinned?
Every second week of January, Kalibonhons and tourists paint their skins black to become part of the Ati-Atihan Festival. In our recent visit, my colleague Alex Villafania and I had the chance of getting our skin blackened and dress up like an “Ati.”
Dressing up like an Ati was not easy. As early as 4 o’clock in the morning, we braved the cold weather in Kalibo and went to Lucas, also known as “Tatay Oca” Cristobal’s house. Tatay Oca, the leader of the Morongga tribe, welcomed us in their home, where members of the tribe, mostly teenagers, were already eating breakfast.
