Ati-atihan festival as a literary event

Abstract

Panay Island is one of the islands in the Philippines, where traditional events like festivals are treasured and celebrated. Philippine festivals have gradually responded to socio-cultural changes. Ati-Atihan Festival is regarded as the “Mother of Philippine Festivals.” It has been known for its devoutness, distinctiveness and unrestrained revelry. The study analyzed and interpreted the Ati-Atihan Festival of Kalibo, Aklan as a literary event semiotically in terms of narrative structure, signs and symbols deployed in its recreation of the Barter in Panay, its reference to Christianity, and the merging of the past with the present. This is a qualitative research employing the methods by Propp, Greimas, Peirce, and Barthes. The Ati-Atihan Festival is a blend of both a religious celebration and a historical commemoration. The present Ati-Atihan is tinged with religious fervour. With its Christian character, the previous Ati-Ati Festival was transformed into the feast of Sto. Niño with its coming and inclusion in the celebration, which paved way for the devotees of their religious zeal, their strong desire to yield healing power, physically and spiritually as they go to the place every year to join the festivities and profess their devotion. There is a union of historical spectacle, pagan revelry, religiosity, and modernity. Signs were found to have denotative and connotative meanings and were classified as iconic, indexical, or symbolic.