January

• 1 January: New Year (family gatherings, media noche party, fireworks). • First Sunday: Epiphany, celebrated with particular fervour on the island of Marinduque. • 9 January: Procession of the Black Nazarene during the afternoon in the Quiapo district of Manila, with a huge crowd seeking to touch the sacred statue and thus secure remission of their sins. • 3rd week of January: Sinulog or Fiesta of Santo Niño (Cebu) with a religious procession, native dances, a carnival, fireworks, etc. • Third weekend: Constitution Day. • During the month: Ati-atihan at Kalibo (Aklan, island of Panay), the biggest carnival in the archipelago, lasting three days, with a representation of the encounter between natives and Malay invaders.