52-734: The Dinagyang Festival is a religious and cultural festival in Iloilo City , Philippines , held annually on the fourth Sunday of January in honor of Santo Niño , the Holy Child . It is one of the largest festivals in the Philippines, drawing hundreds of thousands to over a million visitors every year. The festival is well-known for its Ati Tribes Competition, featuring various tribu or tribe performers in Ati warrior costumes, presenting traditional choreographed formations, patterns, and rhythmic chanting to
104-732: A beauty pageant , car shows , music festivals , and various side events. The Iloilo Festivals Foundation, Inc. (IFFI) currently manages and organizes the festival. They took over the responsibility from the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation, Inc. (IDFI) in 2019 and also manage other major festivals in Iloilo, such as the Paraw Regatta . The Dinagyang season officially begins during the Pamukaw (awakening), held annually in December, one month prior to
156-401: A "festival dai" was a religious holiday. The first recorded used of the word "festival" as a noun was in 1589 (as "Festifall"). Feast first came into usage as a noun c. 1200 , and its first recorded use as a verb was circa 1300. The word gala comes from Arabic word khil'a , meaning robe of honor. The word gala was initially used to describe "festive dress", but came to be
208-714: A Christian saint as well as a celebration of the time of the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere, where it is particularly important in Sweden. Winter carnivals also provide the opportunity to utilise to celebrate creative or sporting activities requiring snow and ice. In the Philippines , each day of the year has at least one festival dedicated to harvesting of crops, fishes, crustaceans, milk, and other local goods. Scholarly literature notes that festivals functionally disseminate political values and meaning, such as ownership of place, which undergoes transformation in accordance with
260-529: A global tourist prospect although they are commonly public or not-for-profit . Many festivals have religious origins and entwine cultural and religious significance in traditional activities. The most important religious festivals such as Christmas , Rosh Hashanah , Diwali , Eid-al-Fitr and Eid-al-Adha serve to mark out the year. Others, such as harvest festivals , celebrate seasonal change. Events of historical significance, such as important military victories or other nation-building events also provide
312-632: A half-day sailboat race but is now a multi-day, multi-event festival. The paraw race course is 30 kilometres (19 mi) long, and runs up the coast of Panay and then down the coast of Guimaras , before returning to the finish at Villa Beach . Participating paraws are categorized based on the waterline length of the boat and further classified according to their sails as "unpainted" or "painted". The sails are painted with colorful designs. The racing breaks down into two classes. Boats of length 16 ft and below of strictly traditional construction and those 16 ft 1 inch through to 22 ft with
364-501: A result of which there is a wide range of ancient and modern harvest festivals . Ancient Egyptians relied upon the seasonal inundation caused by the Nile River , a form of irrigation , which provided fertile land for crops. In the Alps , in autumn the return of the cattle from the mountain pastures to the stables in the valley is celebrated as Almabtrieb . A recognized winter festival,
416-468: A spear in another) in a tribe (locally called "tribu") dancing in a choreographed formation and patterns as well as chanting to the sound of loud drum beats and improvised percussion instruments innovated by the respective tribes. In the early years, a number of tribes were created, founded and organized by some of the barangay or communities around the city, but through the years, as the Dinagyang evolves and
468-600: A synonym of "festival" starting in the 18th century. Festivals have long been significant in human culture and history and are found in virtually all cultures. The importance of festivals, to the present, is found in private and public; secular and religious life. Ancient Greek and Roman societies relied heavily upon festivals, both communal and administrative. Saturnalia was likely influential to Christmas and Carnival . Celebration of social occasions, religion and nature were common. Specific festivals have century-long histories and festivals in general have developed over
520-439: Is a popular catchphrase among Ilonggos to show enthusiastic involvement in the Dinagyang. During the celebration, the phrase is always heard attributed to the festival theme song, "Hala Bira, Iloilo!" played on every street in the city. The song was composed in the early 2000s by Rommel Salvador N. Chiu and an award-winning musician and lyricist Dante M. Beriong. It is one of the first and most recognizable festival theme songs in
572-533: Is also featured during the event, where gigantic and colorful floats of the sponsors for the Dinagyang Festival are going by the parade. It was first added in the 2018 edition during the 50th anniversary of the Dinagyang Festival. The main highlight of the festival, which is the Ati Tribes competition held at Iloilo Freedom Grandstand , consists of a number of "warrior" dancers (who hold a shield in one hand and
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#1732845694287624-483: Is an additional Dinagyang tribes competition where warriors wear colorfully lit costumes. First added in 2023, it showcases seven competing tribes representing the seven districts of Iloilo City , namely the City Proper , Arevalo , Jaro , La Paz , Lapuz , Mandurriao , and Molo . It is a parade-type street dance competition that allows spectators to witness every performance from the tribes. The Floats Parade of Lights
676-764: Is an annual festival held every third weekend of February in the Arevalo , Iloilo City , Philippines . Its main event is a sailboat race in Iloilo Strait that features the paraw , a Visayan double-outrigger sail boat . It is the oldest traditional craft event in Asia, and the largest sailing event in the Philippines. It is one of Iloilo City's tourism events along with the Dinagyang Festival , Kasadyahan Festival , Chinese New Year festival and La Candelaria Fiesta (Fiesta de la Candelaria). The Iloilo Paraw Regatta began as
728-477: Is often marked as a local or national holiday , mela , or eid . A festival constitutes typical cases of glocalization , as well as the high culture-low culture interrelationship. Next to religion and folklore , a significant origin is agricultural . Food is such a vital resource that many festivals are associated with harvest time. Religious commemoration and thanksgiving for good harvests are blended in events that take place in autumn , such as Halloween in
780-609: The Catholic , Eastern Orthodox , and Anglican liturgical calendars there are a great number of lesser feasts throughout the year commemorating saints, sacred events or doctrines. In the Philippines , each day of the year has at least one specific religious festival, either from Catholic, Islamic, or indigenous origins. Buddhist religious festivals, such as Esala Perahera are held in Sri Lanka and Thailand. Hindu festivals , such as Holi are very ancient. The Sikh community celebrates
832-578: The Chinese New Year , is set by the lunar calendar, and celebrated from the day of the second new moon after the winter solstice . Dree Festival of the Apatanis living in Lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh is celebrated every year from July 4 to 7 by praying for a bumper crop harvest. Midsummer or St John's Day, is an example of a seasonal festival, related to the feast day of
884-768: The International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA), held in February 2024 in Pattaya , Chonburi , Thailand . It is one of few festivals in the world to get the support of the United Nations for the promotion of the Millennium Development Goals , and cited by the Asian Development Bank as Best Practice on government, private sector & NGO cooperatives. Dinagyang also holds the record for
936-717: The National Peanut Festival in the United States, or the Galway International Oyster Festival in Ireland. There are also specific beverage festivals, such as the famous Oktoberfest in Germany for beer . Many countries hold festivals to celebrate wine . One example is the global celebration of the arrival of Beaujolais nouveau , which involves shipping the new wine around the world for its release date on
988-497: The Philippines , aside from numerous art festivals scattered throughout the year, February is known as national arts month, the culmination of all art festivals in the entire archipelago. The modern model of music festivals began in the 1960s-70s and have become a lucrative global industry. Predecessors extend back to the 11th century and some, such as the Three Choirs Festival, remain to this day. Film festivals involve
1040-641: The Vaisakhi festival marking the new year and birth of the Khalsa . Among the many offspring of general arts festivals are also more specific types of festivals, including ones that showcase intellectual or creative achievement such as science festivals , literary festivals and music festivals . Sub-categories include comedy festivals , rock festivals , jazz festivals and buskers festivals ; poetry festivals, theatre festivals , and storytelling festivals ; and re-enactment festivals such as Renaissance fairs . In
1092-595: The Ati Tribes Competition (held on a Sunday), the Kasadyahan Festival (held on a Saturday), and the ILOmination and Floats Parade of Lights (held on a Friday). Other events that are highly celebrated during the highlight week of the festival are Sadsad (merrymaking), Food and Music Festivals, Fluvial and Motorcade Parades, and Miss Iloilo . Kasadyahan Festival is one of the most anticipated events during
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#17328456942871144-573: The Dinagyang celebration. It is a competition among cultural festivals from different places in the Western Visayas region. As an added attraction to the Ati Tribes competition, the Kasadyahan Cultural competition was added to the festival from the 1980s to 2019 to showcase the talents of the students as well as the rich cultural heritage of the province of Iloilo . In the first few years of this event, schools from various towns and cities in
1196-501: The Dinagyang organizers and by the Regional Association of National Government Executives invited an actual Ati tribe for the first time from the mountains of Barotac Viejo , and showcase their native dances during the event. Since 1978, the Dinagyang Festival has grown into a significant religious and cultural event. The festival has now diversified to include other cultural presentations, sports competitions , food festivals ,
1248-802: The Grand Winner of ATOP's Pearl Awards and Best Tourism Practice during the Pandemic, which was the only award given by ATOP during that year. In 2022, it was declared as the grand winner of the Best Cultural Festival Award-City category. In the 2024 Philippine LEAF Awards, Dinagyang has been awarded as the Best Festival in the Visayas. Dinagyang was also the first ever Philippine recipient of the Asia-Pacific Folklore Festival award by
1300-535: The Philippines (ATOP) for many years, the festival is often hailed as the "Queen of All Philippine Festivals." The word Dinágyang came from a Hiligaynon word extrapolated from dágyang, meaning “merrymaking.” The festival hosts a celebration of the Santo Niño ( Holy Child or Infant Jesus ) and the pact between the Datus and the locals after the arrival of Malay settlers and the legendary barter of Panay Island from
1352-666: The Philippines. Dinagyang festival has brought a lot of innovations throughout the years. These innovations has influenced the way other festivals in the country is run. Among these are the following: Dinagyang is the most awarded festival in the Philippines. It has been recognized as the country's best tourism event by the Association of Tourism Officers in the Philippines (ATOP) for three consecutive years in 2006, 2007, and 2008. In 2020, it received another ATOP's Best Tourism Event Award (as Contemporary/Non-Traditional Expression Category). Its Dinagyang Digital edition in 2021 has also won as
1404-466: The beat of loud drums and improvised percussion instruments, that narrate different iterations of the history of Panay . Another highlight is the Kasadyahan Festival , where different cultural festivals from various places in Western Visayas come together to compete. As the most awarded festival in the country and having been named the best tourism event by the Association of Tourism Officers in
1456-556: The beginning, the observance of the feast was confined to the parish. The Confradia patterned the celebration on the Ati-Atihan of Ibajay, Aklan , where natives dance in the streets, their bodies covered with soot and ashes, to simulate the Atis dancing to celebrate the sale of Panay . It was these tribal groups who were the prototype of the present festival. In 1977, the Marcos government ordered
1508-431: The best tribes receiving the most. The current Ati population of Iloilo is not involved with any of the tribes nor are they involved in the festival in any other way, although recently the original Atis from the hinterlands of Panay, specifically from the mountains of Barotac Nuevo and Anilao , came to participate non-competitively for recognition and to give them importance as being the characters symbolically portrayed in
1560-455: The calendar in use at the time. The Sed festival , for example, celebrated the thirtieth year of an Egyptian pharaoh 's rule and then every three (or four in one case) years after that. Among the Ashantis , most of their traditional festivals are linked to gazette sites which are believed to be sacred with several rich biological resources in their pristine forms. Thus, the annual commemoration of
1612-437: The competition becomes more competitive, gaining worldwide fame and attention, schools are starting to create and organize tribes, introducing dynamic new dance patterns, formations and choreography, soliciting sponsors from private companies for expenses and the cost of participating in the competition. No actual Ati are involved, nor do they benefit in any way from this event. There are a number of requirements, including that
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1664-622: The consumption of specially prepared food (showing the connection to "feasting") and they bring people together. Festivals are also strongly associated with national holidays. Lists of national festivals are published to make participation easier. The scale of festivals varies; in location and attendance, they may range from a local to national level. Music festivals, for example, often bring together disparate groups of people, such that they are both localised and global. The "vast majority" of festivals are, however, local, modest and populist. The abundance of festivals significantly hinders quantifying
1716-424: The country. As of Dinagyang 2024, the reigning grand champion is Tribu Pan-ay of Fort San Pedro National High School. Dinagyang, as one of the most popular festivals in the Philippines, is honored and recognized for many different aspects, from its innovations and awards to its popular catchphrase, Hala Bira, Iloilo! Viva Señor Santo Niño! Hala bira is a Hiligaynon phrase that means "dispense all means," which
1768-549: The festival. Furthermore, a festival may act as an artefact which allows citizens to achieve "certain ideals", including those of identity and ideology. Festivals may be used to rehabilitate or elevate the image of a city; the ephemerality of festivals means that their impact is often incorporeal, of name, memory and perception. In deviating from routine, festivals may reinforce the convention, be it social, cultural or economic. Paraw Regatta Festival The Paraw Regatta Festival or Iloilo–Guimaras Paraw Regatta Festival
1820-610: The festival. The grand champion of the Ati Tribes Competition receives a ₱ 1,000,000 cash prize and a trophy, and also gets a chance to perform at the year’s Philippine Independence Day rites in New York City . They will also represent Dinagyang in the annual Aliwan Fiesta held in the Star City Complex in Pasay, Metro Manila , where they will compete in the dance competition category against other winning groups from festivals across
1872-637: The festivals helps in maintaining the buoyancy of the conserved natural site, assisting in biodiversity conservation. In the Christian liturgical calendar , there are two principal feasts, properly known as the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord (Christmas) and the Feast of the Resurrection (Easter), but minor festivals in honour of local patron saints are celebrated in almost all countries influenced by Christianity. In
1924-482: The highest number of grand champions in Aliwan Fiesta , an annual “festival of festivals” competition showcasing diverse cultural festivals from across the Philippines. It bagged the titles in 2004, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2023 and 2024. Festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures . It
1976-547: The impetus for a festival. An early example is the festival established by Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses III celebrating his victory over the Libyans. In many countries, royal holidays commemorate dynastic events just as agricultural holidays are about harvests. Festivals are often commemorated annually. There are numerous types of festivals in the world and most countries celebrate important events or traditions with traditional cultural events and activities. Most culminate in
2028-464: The involvement of elders sharing stories and experience provides a means for unity among families . Attendants of festivals are often motivated by a desire for escapism, socialization and camaraderie; the practice has been seen as a means of creating geographical connection, belonging and adaptability. The word "festival" was originally used as an adjective from the late fourteenth century, deriving from Latin via Old French . In Middle English ,
2080-618: The last few centuries – some traditional festivals in Ghana , for example, predate European colonisation of the 15th century. Festivals prospered following the Second World War. Both established in 1947, Avignon Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe have been notable in shaping the modern model of festivals. Art festivals became more prominent by the turn of the 21st century. In modern times, festivals are commodified as
2132-455: The main celebration in January. This event signifies the official start of the festival. The Opening Salvo of Dinagyang, which takes place annually on the second Friday of January, serves as a proclamation of the official beginning of the highlight week or the main celebration of the festival. It is also a preliminary to the three major events, which held annually every fourth weekend of January:
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2184-423: The main highlights of the mardi gras celebration the following day. In the last quarter of 2023, the Iloilo provincial government announced they will organized the Kasadyahan Festival and will name it Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahan which was launched on December 13, 2023, which will showcase different town festivals in Iloilo province competing for the title replacing the previous year's regional competition. ILOmination
2236-644: The natives called Ati . Dinagyang, initially known as Iloilo Ati-Atihan, began after Rev. Fr. Ambrosio Galindez , the first Filipino Rector of the Augustinian Community and Parish Priest of the San Jose Parish introduced the devotion to Santo Niño in November 1967 after observing the Ati-Atihan Festival in the province of Aklan . On 1968, a replica of the original image of the Santo Niño de Cebu
2288-490: The northern hemisphere and Easter in the southern. Festivals often serve to fulfill specific communal purposes, especially in regard to commemoration or thanking to the gods, goddesses or saints: they are called patronal festivals . They may also provide entertainment , which was particularly important to local communities before the advent of mass-produced entertainment. Festivals that focus on cultural or ethnic topics also seek to inform community members of their traditions;
2340-567: The performers must paint their skin black and be indigenous; other kinds of materials can be used for the costumes. All dances are performed to drum music. Many tribes are organized by the local high schools, and in recent times, some tribes came from as far as Batanes in Luzon and Cotabato in Mindanao. The tribes receive a subsidy from the IFFI and the city government of Iloilo and recruit private sponsors, with
2392-434: The province participated in this competition, but in recent times, the cultural competition confined only to the province has become a regional event, accepting entries from other provinces of the region, showcasing the best of Western Visayas cultural and historical heritage. Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. (IFFI) announced that the Kasadyahan Festival would no longer be part of the Dinagyang Festival starting in 2020. It
2444-622: The screenings of several different films, and are usually held annually. Some of the most significant film festivals include the Berlin International Film Festival , the Venice Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival . A food festival is an event celebrating food or drink. These often highlight the output of producers from a certain region. Some food festivals are focused on a particular item of food, such as
2496-462: The third Thursday of November each year. Both Beaujolais nouveau and the Japanese rice wine sake are associated with harvest time. In the Philippines, there are at least two hundred festivals dedicated to food and drinks. Seasonal festivals, such as Beltane , are determined by the solar and the lunar calendars and by the cycle of the seasons , especially because of its effect on food supply, as
2548-517: The total there of. There exists significant variation among festivals, beyond binary dichotomies of sacred and secular, rural and urban, people and establishment. Among many religions , a feast is a set of celebrations in honour of God or gods . A feast and a festival are historically interchangeable. Most religions have festivals that recur annually and some, such as Passover , Easter, and Eid al-Adha are moveable feasts – that is, those that are determined either by lunar or agricultural cycles or
2600-517: The various regions of the Philippines to come up with festivals or celebrations that could boost tourism and development. The City of Iloilo readily identified the Iloilo Ati-Atihan as its project. At the same time, the local parish could no longer handle the growing challenges of the festival. The late Ilonggo broadcaster and writer Pacifico Sumagpao Sudario coined the term in 1977 to differentiate it from Kalibo's Ati-Atihan. In that particular year,
2652-515: Was brought to Iloilo by Fr. Sulpicio Enderez. The people of Iloilo welcomed the image, along with followers from Cebu, upon its arrival at Mandurriao Airport . " as a gift to the Parish of San Jose. The faithful, led by members of Confradia del Santo Niño de Cebu, Iloilo Chapter, worked to give the image a fitting reception starting at the Iloilo Airport and parading down the streets of Iloilo. " In
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#17328456942872704-494: Was replaced by merry making or the sadsad that has been the central feature of the Ati-Atihan Festival of Kalibo, Aklan. Meanwhile, the Kasadyahan Festival was said to be celebrated in a separate month or possibly incorporated into the celebration of Iloilo City’s Charter Day. However, these plans got canceled due to the pandemic. The Kasadyahan Regional Cultural Competition returned to Dinagyang in 2023 on Saturday preceding
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