COMEBACK | Iloilo City鈥檚 Ati tribes are raring to compete again in the Dinagyang Festival this year, the first full in-person staging of the religious and cultural celebration since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020. (Photo IAN PAUL CORDERO)
ILOILO CITY, Iloilo, Philippines 鈥� Jaime Canlas has been participating in the Dinagyang Festival for more than 40 years but this year鈥檚 celebration is particularly special for him.
Today鈥檚 performance of his Tribu Molave in Dinagyang sa Barangay is a tribute to the Sto. Ni帽o for helping them survive the pandemic in the past two years.
鈥淚t was because of our strong devotion [to Sto. Ni帽o] that we didn鈥檛 lose hope, and now we鈥檙e back,鈥� he said.
Canlas said the pandemic spared no one and stopped them from performing in the Dinagyang, which was reduced to a 鈥渧irtual鈥� festival due to health protocols imposed to stop the spread of COVID-19. Mobility restrictions and a prohibition on mass gatherings in 2021 and 2022 forced festival organizers to record or stream Dinagyang performances.
But the group, Canlas said, is happy to be able to perform again this year.
鈥淲e can show to the public that despite the pandemic, our faith in the Sto. Ni帽o has never faded,鈥� Canlas said.
Celebrated every fourth Sunday of January, the Dinagyang Festival started in 1968 when the replica of the image of the Sto. Ni帽o de Cebu was brought to Iloilo鈥檚 San Jose Parish Church where it is enshrined until now.
In 1969, the first parish feast of the Sto. Ni帽o was celebrated to commemorate the image鈥檚 arrival here. The champion and runner-up in the Ati-Atihan contest in Kalibo town, Aklan, performed in what was considered the first 鈥淎ti-Ati festival鈥� in Iloilo City.
In 1977, the festival鈥檚 name was changed to 鈥淒inagyang鈥� from the Hiligaynon word 鈥渄agyang,鈥� or merrymaking, to avoid duplicating Kalibo鈥檚 Ati-Atihan, which is celebrated every second Sunday of January.
Since then, Dinagyang has evolved into a major tourist attraction for the city.
DEVOTION | Devotees accompany the image of the Sto. Ni帽o to the San Jose Parish Church after a sea procession down the Iloilo Strait, which separates Iloilo and Guimaras. (Photo IAN PAUL CORDERO)
Personal
What set Dinagyang apart from other festivals is the choreography: brisk movements, repeated change of costume in striking colors, and mobile platforms.
This year鈥檚 Dinagyang Festival takes on a more personal tone as the performances focus on expressing gratitude to the Sto. Ni帽o even as COVID-19 claimed the lives of at least 760 people in Iloilo City and 1,634 in Iloilo province.
鈥淲e want to give thanks to Se帽or Sto. Ni帽o for all the protection, for all the blessings, and for giving us the opportunity to celebrate the Dinagyang Festival once again, back in the streets,鈥� said Joyce Clavecillas, executive director of the Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc.
Clavecillas said the festival theme, 鈥淧asasalamat kay Se帽or Sto. Ni帽o鈥� (Thanksgiving to the Child Jesus), had been reflected in the performances of the tribes, even during prefestival activities last October.
She said the image of the Sto. Ni帽o was present in every prefestival activity to point out that amid the excitement and revelry, it was all about the Ilonggos鈥� faith in the Holy Child Jesus.
The celebration this year marks the comeback of two street dancing competitions, which are the highlights of the Dinagyang Festival.
Eight tribes from the provinces of Negros Occidental, Iloilo, and Antique, participated in the Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan, a regional cultural competition, on Saturday.
STAR OF THE SHOW | The Sto. Ni帽o remains the central figure in all performances during the Dinagyang Festival. (Photo IAN PAUL CORDERO)
鈥楲ight in the dark鈥�
In the evening, seven tribes from the city鈥檚 seven districts competed in a new event called Dinagyang ILOmination Showdown at Mandurriao district, the city鈥檚 business center. What made this new competition different was that the tribes wore costumes that glowed in the dark.
Professor Eric Divinagracia, the festival鈥檚 artistic director, said the glowing costumes were a metaphor for Se帽or Sto. Ni帽o as the 鈥渓ight in the dark.鈥�
鈥淎fter two years of darkness [during] the pandemic, it is high time that we emphasize that Sto. Ni帽o gives light and has been our source of light in the last two years,鈥� he said.
Among those who performed was Gabriel Zamudio, 26, of Tribu La Paz, who was reviewing for the criminology board examination. Zamudio, who has been dancing in the Dinagyang since 2009, said his participation in the festival helped strengthen his faith in the Holy Child Jesus.
鈥淓ven when we were going hungry during the pandemic, we didn鈥檛 feel it because [Sto. Ni帽o] made things easier for us. Even as things were becoming more difficult, we were able to cope because of Him,鈥� he added.
His participation in the Dinagyang is Zamudio鈥檚 way to express his devotion to the Sto. Ni帽o who, he said, has been helping him especially when things get tough.
As he danced in the Dinagyang ILOmination, Zamudio鈥檚 prayer was to pass the board exams.
鈥淥nce I get into [police] service, I promise that I will continue serving Him,鈥� he added.
Today, eight Ati tribes from Iloilo City鈥檚 villages are competing in the Dinagyang sa Barangay.A mong those performing are Canlas鈥� Tribu Molave, which was founded by his father, Jaime.
Mayor Jerry Tre帽as said this year鈥檚 Dinagyang was a testament to how Iloilo City was able to bounce back from the impact of the pandemic.
Tre帽as recalled that as a boy, he watched the festival in the city鈥檚 downtown area. But he is glad that Dinagyang has become bigger and grander, as the celebration has reached Mandurriao.