The Dinagyang Festival 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.

The first festival in the world to get the support of the United Nations for the promotion of the Millennium Development Goals.

Dagoy

Dagoy, the six feet nine inches tall three dimension mascot of Iloilo’s Dinagyang Festival.

He is no longer the black colored mascot once perceived to be the true color of an Aeta Dagoy, a friendly Aeta kid, a miniature of the Dinagyang warrior is now dark brown. City Tourism officer Benito Jimena, also the executive director of the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation, Inc. explains that dark brown is the authentic color of Aetas. By adopting the actual color, the foundation at the same time corrects the notion that natives are black.

The Aetas are believed to be descendants of the original inhabitants of the Philippines that arrived through land bridges linking the country to the Asian mainland some 30,000 years ago says one theory. The migration may have happened when the Malay Peninsula was then connected with Sumatra and other Sunda islands.

This suggests that the original inhabitants are not black because the Malayans are not. Jimena likewise opines that the new innovation would create a distinct identity for the Dinagyang Festival and not be classified as a copycat of other festivals that use black warriors like the Ati-Atihan of Kalibo and Sinulog of Cebu. Henceforth Dagoy’s skin color will be dark brown. This will be the same color that Dinagyang warriors will use when they perform during the Dinagyang Festival.

Dagoy still wears a fiberglass headdress bearing the picture of Sto. Niño. He is garb with a camel-colored loincloth which is the typical attire of an Aeta. Dagoy is holding a drum made of fiberglass with the logo of the Iloilo City Government printed at the center. His hands and feet are adorned with multi-colored bracelets, similar to these being worn by a Dinagyang warrior. Dagoy was introduced four years ago. His first public appearance was on December 11, 2004 at D Fort in Taguig during the official launching f the festival in Manila. It was followed by several engagements when he officially represents the Dinagyang Festival to various functions.

sources: wikipedia.org, dinagyangsailoilo.com