Answer:
The Ati-Atihan Festival is a Philippine festival held annually in January in honor of the Santo Niño (Holy Child or Infant Jesus) in several towns of the province of Aklan, Panay Island. The biggest celebration is held during the third Sunday of January in the town of Kalibo, the province’s capital. The name Ati-Atihan means "to imitate Ati", the local name of the Aeta people, the first settlers of Panay Island and other parts of the archipelago. The festivity was originally a pagan celebration to commemorate the Barter of Panay, where the Aeta accepted gifts from Bornean chieftains called Datu, who fled with their families to escape a tyrannical ruler, in exchange for being allowed to dwell in the Aeta’s lands. They celebrated with dancing and music, with the Borneans having painted their bodies with soot to show their gratefulness and camaraderie with the Aeta who had dark skin. Later on, the festivity was given a different meaning by the church by celebrating the acceptance of Christianity, as symbolized by carrying an image of the Holy Child or Infant Jesus during the procession.
