Many of us including myself didn't know that Ati-Atihan Festival of Kalibo Aklan has become the favorite festival that is celebrated in Saudi Arabia. This has been celebrated for years now in Saudi Arabia freely but without any presentations of the image of the Santo Niņo, an (OFW) who is an Natatanging Bagong Bayani (OFW) Awardee awardee named Mary Jane Tupas.

Mary Jane Tupas said that: "For several years, Filipinos in Saudi are assisting us celebrate the Ati-Atihan revelry in tribal costumes, the same as those the tribal groups wear in Kalibo. We also celebrate the tradition, the same as the date that Kalibo celebrates."

The prince of Saudi Arabia has given them permission to celebrate the Ati-Atihan Festival but with a condition that there will be no religious icons presented as these is strictly prohibited in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Here in the Philippines, the Ati-Atihan Festival of Kalibo Aklan which is known as the mother of all festivals is celebrated annually during the Saturday and Sunday of January and is devoted to the Sto. Niņo.

Kalibo Aklan's Ati-Atihan Festival is also celebrated in the USA and Canada not only in Saudi Arabia. Ati-Atihan Festival is celebrated as a gathering of Filipino abroad and also to showcase the Filipino culture and tradition not only the culture and tradition of the Kalibo Aklan province.

This January, Kalibo Aklan will be celebrating it's Ati-Atihan festival's 796th year that will highlight on January 19-20, 2007. There will be a lot of tourist and visitors around the country to witness this festivities.