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• Hala Bira!


  The Atiathan Festival
• Atiathan Festival


  • Hailed as the "Mother of Philippine Festivals" by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)
  • Started during the 16th century
• Origin of the Atiathan Festival


  1. A fisherman caught a piece of wood instead of fish

  2. The wood had a carving of a child

  3. The couple placed the wood in their altar, interpreting it as the Sto. Niño

  4. The family received blessings

  5. The priest requested the image be placed at the local chapel but it kept returning to the couple's house

  6. The people interpreted it as a sign to ask for forgiveness and included coloring their skin black and wearing rags as penance
• Padre Fernando de Legazpi heard about the yearly celebration and copied it in his parish and the town of Kalibo


  1798
• The annual Kalibo Sto. Niño Atiahan Festival was institutionalized by the priest and some local businessmen


  June 11, 1871
• Another story of the Atiathan Festival

  1. Ten Bornean Datus and their families, led by Datu Puti, fled their island and docked at Panay Island

  2. They were greeted by the Aetas, led by Marikudo

  3. A barter system was established which led to the ownership of some lowland from the natives in exchange for a golden salakot from the datus

  4. In another version, the visitors painted their faces black in honor of the Aetas and as a form of reconciliation and celebration of a formed friendship
• President Ferdinand E. Marcos instructed the Department of Tourism to promote the festival every January


  1970
• Instruments used in the Atiathan Festival

  • Snare drums
  • Bass drums
  • Trumpets
  • Xylophones
  • Gongs
  • Parade musicians sometimes use whistles to enhance the sound of the drums and to accompany the chanting of the participants and the audience
  • Drums, big and small, generally produce the monotonous yet lively rhythmic pattern which moves the dancers and the audience to their feet
• Sadsad


  1. The most awaited activity during the final day of the celebration

  2. Participants paint their bodies black to imitate the Aetas

  3. Wearing colorful tribal costumes and headdresses with spear and a shield in their hands, the dancers tirelessly move their bodies in their own style as the loud and furious drumbeats accompany their movements

  4. The popular Atiathan chant "Hala Bira Pwera Pasma!" is chanted, meaning to continue the dancing and playing while wishing that they may not get sick from exhaustion or body overheat
• The Atiathan Festival is held every third week of January, honoring the Sto. Niño by the local people of Aklan
• Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)


  One of the highest and largest mountain ranges in the Philippines, comprising six provinces (Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Mountain Province) and one city (Baguio)
• The famous Rice Terraces, one of the "Seven Wonders of the World", is located in the Cordillera region and was built through the cooperation of various ethnic tribes
• Ethnic groups inhabiting the Cordillera region

  • Kalinga
  • Bontoc
  • Ifugao
  • Kankanaey
  • Ibaloi
  • Isneg
  • Ga'dang
• Ethnic groups of the Cordillera region


  • They have developed unique culture through epics, rituals, and music
  • They have preserved their indigenous musical traditions and integrated them into their daily activities
  • They appreciate the beauty of nature and create varied forms of artistic expressions through songs, dances, and art forms
  • Their songs have generally limited tones and the vocal style varies according to their daily activities
• Vocal music in the Cordillera region

  • Salidumay - a song famous in the Cordilleras, introduced during World War II, with limited voice range and use of ornamentations like tremolos or trills and slides
  • Bad-iw - an Ibaloi death ritual song, using a leader-chorus type of singing
  • Og-gayam - an Ifugao song, usually performed during festivities, weddings, peace agreements, harvest time, or welcoming guests, may be accompanied by the Kalinga flute
  • Hudhud - a popular vocal song of Ifugao, a chanted poetry usually recited during rituals and while farming, with stories of Ifugao heroes and heroines, and culture as the usual themes
• Uses or purposes of music in the Cordillera region

  • Peace pacts
  • Healing rituals
  • Invocations of the gods
  • Courtships and marriage
  • Death rites
  • Birth and other life cycle events
• Instrumental music in the Cordillera region

  • The Kalinga ethnic music is very rich in singing and instrument playing, and has been a part of their everyday experiences
  • Musical instruments used in various rituals and festivities show differences in the construction, the manner and style of playing them, and their sound, although there are striking similarities among them
• Instruments used in the Cordillera region

  • Gangsa - a flat gong without boss, considered the most treasured instrument among the Kalinga, played during festivities like peace agreements, burial rites, or headhunting ceremonies
  • Bunkaka - a bamboo buzzer, played alone or in a group, with all players using individual rhythmic patterns
  • Patangguk - a quili-shaped tube, struck against a bamboo tube or a piece of hardwood
  • Patatag/Pateteg - a set of bamboo blades in graduated sizes, played in an ensemble of six members by one or two sticks
  • Tongatong - stamping tubes
• Baoboo buzzer (Bunkaka)


  1. Strike the split end against the palm of the hand to produce a buzzing sound

  2. Thumbhole along the side of the handle is closed or left open to have variation of pitch and timbre

  3. Played alone or in a group, usually six players

  4. All players use individual rhythmic patterns and begin and end at different times

  5. Results in interlocking of sounds
• Patangguk (quill-shaped tube)


  • Made of one internode of a long slender variety of bamboo
  • Struck against a bamboo tube or a piece of hardwood
• Patatag/ Pateteg (leg xylophone)


  • Set of bamboo blades in graduated sizes
  • Played in an ensemble of six members by one or two sticks
  • Produces a strong and dampened sounds
• Tongatong (stamping tube)


  • Stamping tubes consisting of six bamboo tubes of different lengths of node base but open at the upper ends
  • Played by women in groups of six for healing rites
  • Player strikes the base against a hard surface and is simultaneously covering and uncovering the upper ends of the tubes to produce different sounds
• Ulibaw (Jew's harp)


  • Bamboo instrument made of a thin, narrow strip of bamboo or brass
  • Characterized by a very thin slit with a thin tongue at the middle part
  • Played through plucking or striking the tip of the instrument to produce a vibrating sound
  • Player's mouth serves as the resonator, producing varied sound qualities and tone pitches
  • Commonly used for courtship and entertainment
• Kolitong/ Kulitong


  Stringed instrument made of a single bamboo pieces around 3/4 inches in diameter with a node at each end
• Saggeypo (pipe)


  • Set of five, six, or more bamboo pipes with different sizes played in three or more ensembles
  • Played separately, each player may be assigned to play one or two pipes
  • Played by both young and old women or men during relaxation periods and when they socialize with other tribes
• Diwdiw-as (panpipes)


  • Row of five or more slim bamboo tubes of varying lengths tied to each other
  • Played by both young and old women during leisure hours
• Tongali (nose flute)


  • Instrument from Ifugao and Kalinga
  • Nose flute instrument originated from many tribes and is called by different names
  • Has five finger holes
  • Normally played solo by men to woo women, and for general entertainment
• Sulibaw/ Solibao (conical drum)


  Drum with a skinhead played with a padded stick or by tapping using open hands
• Paldong


  • Traditional bamboo lip-valley flute
  • Open at both ends and has four finger holes
  • Melody improvisation is played by men for serenading, courting women, or passing by leisure time
• An ensemble produces six different pitches because of their graduated sizes
• Staggered instrument playing is required in the entrances to produce interlocking patterns of sounds
• Interlocking technique


  A stylistic device creating a resultant melody through the distribution of five or more instruments
• To provide a variety of sounds, alternate opening and closing holes for tube instruments and ringing and damping for other instruments
• The sectioning of different musical instrument is according to the Hornbostel-Sachs classification
• Hornbostel-Sachs classification


  • Aerophone (sound produced by air)
  • Chordophone (sound produced by strings)
  • Idiophone (sound produced by way of the instrument itself vibrating without the use of strings)
  • Membranophone (sound produced by a skin attached on the instrument)
• There are many tribes with different music traditions and practices in Mindoro and Palawan
• The Mangyans of Mindoro have music rituals from birth to death, with vocal music in the form of songs and chants and the maximum use of bamboo instruments playing a significant part in their lives
• Ambahan


  • Traditional poetic expression of the Southern Mangyans of Oriental Mindoro with a meter of seven syllable lines
  • Most often performed as a chant without a determined tonality or instrumental accompaniment
  • Serves different purposes within the community, following certain series of themes: birth, childhood, adolescence, courtship, work, illness, wedding, home, problems, adulthood, and death
  • Mangyans wrote and carved their chants in bamboo laths using any pointed and sharp objects to be remembered, taught, and passed on to the next generation
• Musical Instruments of the Mangyans of Mindoro

  • Batwtwi
  • Gitgit
  • Kudlungi
  • Kalutang
  • Kinaban
  • Lantoy
  • Agung
• Suling


  • Long bamboo tube instrument with a very thin surface
  • Head of the suling has a small hole, circled with a thin band made of rattan, to produce air vibration
  • Fingering position changes the sound resonance of the suling, producing different sounds