Billing itself as the Philippine version of Brazil’s Mardi Gras, the Kalibo Ati-Atihan festival this year falls on January 14 and 15. The week-long carnival, which commemorates a pact made between Malay settlers and the Aeta (the original inhabitants of Panay Island) around 700 years ago, features painted and flamboyantly adorned dancers, street processions, and incessant drumbeats. While the festival first began as a celebration of the reconciliation between the two groups, over the years it has grown into a hodge-podge of Catholic rituals, indigenous performances, and social activities. Read more about Kalibo Ati-Atihan here.