I have been consistently saying to all readers of this blog, that I am an born-again Christian, or let’s say, evangelical, and I am not ashamed of this faith. Dinagyang is a highly-Roman Catholic celebration. You may ask why I post them here. My answer: You will never understand the Philippines’ history without taking in consideration the religion of the majority which exists in the islands for more than 400 years already.

A Wikipedia account of the Philippines could be found here. I am simply sharing you these information as a proud Ilonggo ang Filipino. Dinagyang showcases the richness of our culture.

Now, for Dinagyang:

This is Dagoy, the mascot of Dinagyang. He is the first and only mascot that represents a festival in the Philippines. This is one of a first in the Philippines from Iloilo City. To know more about the firsts of my beloved city, please click here.

Amidst the festive image of Dagoy, Dinagyang has a serious tone for Catholics of Iloilo. January is the month of the feast of the Christ Child following the Christmas celebration. This is the reason why Dinagyang is in January. It celebrates the feast of Santo Niño or Holy Infant.

Dinagyang’s history takes credit from the devotees of the Santo Niño. Here is a condensed history of Dinagyang:

Dinagyang began after Rev. Fr. Ambrosio Galindez of a local Roman Catholic parish introduced the devotion to Santo Niño in November 1967. In 1968, a replica of the original image of the Santo Niño de Cebu was brought to Iloilo by Fr. Sulpicio Enderez 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 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.

The parish served by the Confradia, the San Jose Parish, has a school. This institution, put up by the Augustinian missionaries, holds a reenactment of the story of how Christianity was received at the shores of the Philippines.

Several characters from history is being represented by various persons for this event. The following pictures I will share with you were taken during the arrival of the image of Santo Niño de Cebu.

The San Jose Parish Church.

The Santo Niño. Every Dinagyang, there is a Hermana and Hermano Mayor that serves as the muse and consort for the festival. Commonly, they are members of the Confradia and are married. Together with a child that wears a Holy Infant costume, they are the important persons for the feast.

Many Catholic Filipinos believe in the supernatural power of wearing the clothes just like those of the Santo or venerated images or sculptures. Some say just by wearing, a fever will go away instantly. Parents consider this as a great honor and blessing for the family.

Princesa Isabel ’08

These were “Damas” or Dames

This is the Princesa Isabel of 2011.

All muses and beautiful women shown here are different from the Miss Iloilo Dinagyang and Miss Hiyas sang Iloilo Festival Queen.

I hope you enjoyed this post! 😉

The Dinagyang is a religious and cultural festival in Iloilo City, Philippines held on the fourth Sunday of January, or right after the Sinulog In Cebu and the Ati-Atihan in Aklan. It is held both to honor the Santo Niño and to celebrate the arrival on Panay of Malay settlers and the subsequent selling of the island to them by the Atis.

Dinagyang began after Rev. Fr. Ambrosio Galindez of a local Roman Catholic parish introduced the devotion to Santo Niño in November 1967. In 1968, a replica of the original image of the Santo Niño de Cebu was brought to Iloilo by Fr. Sulpicio Enderez 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 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 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 Dinagyang is divided into three Major events: Ati-Ati Street Dancing, Kasadyahan Street Dancing and Miss Dinagyang.

Today, the main part of the festival consists of a number of “tribes”, called “tribus”, who are supposed to be Ati tribe members dancing in celebration. There are a number of requirements, including that the performers must paint their skin brown and that only indigenous materials can be used for the costumes. All dances are performed to drum music. Many tribes are organized by the local high schools. Some tribes receive a subsidiary from the organizers and recruit private sponsors, with 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.

Dinagyang was voted as the best Tourism Event for 2006, 2007 and 2008 by the Association of Tourism Officers in the Philippines. It is the first festival 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 cooperations.

After 41 years, the ATOP formally declared Iloilo Dinagyang as the “Queen of Philippine Festivals”! Hurray to Iloilo!

But after many years, the simple celebration of the Dinagyang evolved rapidly. From its humble beginnings as a simple Ati-ati dance for the Child Jesus, it then became a cultural contest that eventually led it to become the grandest festival bonanza you surely would not want to miss!

This firework display is just one of the many events during Dinagyang.

I’m a die-hard traveler but did not roam the city as wildly as possible. I got an asthma attack two days before the festival proper. But I still had to see the beauty of the “queen”.

The Saturday of the festival brings us Kasadyahan Festival. This is a major image of what Dinagyang truly is: a festival of festivals!

Afternoon of this festival is a unique presentation of sponsors and donors of the Dinagyang Foundation. A Sponsor’s Mardi Gras is held allowing companies and people to advertise, have fun, and entertain people.

This Chinese school even gave us a glance of the next festival in the city immediately after Dinagyang, the “Chinese New Year Festival”.

The next day of festivities is the highlight of the Festival. The Ati-ati Tribe competition is the superb thing that makes Dinagyang the best! Here is a youtube clip of this year’s champion, Tribu Pan-ay:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h960L0L87c;rel=0&w=425&h=350]

This year is the largest crowd in Iloilo that I have ever seen!

Over all, this year’s Dinagyang Festival was truly great.

Despite my argument against this motto, I am convinced, Iloilo Dinagyang truly is, “Iloilo’s finest, nation’s best!”