|
A huge party is being thrown in Newtown to celebrate the
Hindu new year, ending in a fireworks display and a bhangra bash.
AS the FNB Gauteng Diwali Festival draws
closer, organisers are promising visitors to the festival of lights a
fun-filled programme of dance, music and competitions.
Celebrating the Festival of Lights
On Saturday, 3 October, Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown will be
transformed into a splendid cultural and entertainment cauldron in celebration
of Diwali, the Hindu new year.
Jayesperi Moopen, the festival's programme
director, invites people of all ethnicities and religious backgrounds to taste
the best of Indian culture and cuisine.
Diwali is to Hindus what Christmas is to
Christians, she explains. "It's a festival of joy ... This year's [Gauteng] festival
will be unique and will have a complete South African flavour, featuring some
of the best artists in Gauteng."
Several Indian dance groups will perform
contemporary and traditional Indian dances, among them the Benoni Tamil School
Board, Hindu Cultural League, Institute
of Indian Art and Culture, India
Club and Midrand School of Music.
"There will be two dance competitions: a
Bollywood competition hosted by Eastern Mosaic and ZEE TV will host a solo
competition. The winners of the two competitions will win a trip to India," says
Moopen.
There will also be hip-hop music and dance.
"We try and make the festival as inclusive as possible."
The popular Diski Dance troupe will perform
its hot new diski dance, the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ dance style comprising a
series of choreographed football moves.
Music
Top musicians will be belting out Bollywood hits on the main stage - but Moopen
says this will not be the only main attraction of the day. Stilt walkers,
jugglers and balloon sculptors will be all over the square entertaining children.
Sutra magazine will be at the festival and
Indian beauties will be strutting their stuff on an "exclusive ramp". There
will be photo shoots for the Face of Sutra, with a cover shoot for the magazine
to be won.
And, of course, there will be plenty of
spicy Indian food. "There will be lots and lots of food, with over 50 stalls
offering a variety of Indian dishes. However, because it's a religious
celebration, there will only be vegetarian food on offer."
A rangoli competition will be held, involving
drawing bright rangoli patterns to encourage Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth to
enter. A rangoli is a colourful design drawn on the floor near the entrance to
a house to welcome guests.
Entries must be submitted at the Rangoli Competition
Stall on the day before 12.30pm.
And in true Diwali style, there will be a
spectacular fireworks display at 8.30pm, followed by a bhangra after party,
hosted by top Lotus FM radio personalities.
"We want everybody to come and be happy. We
want people to celebrate and support this major event on the Hindu calendar. We
also want to make the event a celebration of our similarities rather than our
differences," Moopen says.
Entrance is free to the FNB Gauteng Diwali
Festival, which is hosted by the Gauteng Region of the South African Hindu Maha
Sabha and the Tamil Federation of Gauteng with the support of the City of Johannesburg, First
National Bank and Business and Arts South Africa.
Related stories:
|
