Where will the festival take place?
The festival will be held on the grounds next to Vestingbar next Tuesday.
What activities will be held at the festival?
There will be kite flying, the opportunity to have your hand painted with henna tattoos, food and music.
The kites will be provided by PSA and help will also be provided to get the kites in the air. Students in the PSA have brought the kites from Pakistan, they are made of paper and quite delicate. Traditionally the festival is held during the Pakistani spring, which is in January or February, because of the differences in weather we are having it a bit later in the Netherlands. The festival started in the Indo-Pak region to celebrate the beginning of spring when the flowers have started to bloom and for the upcoming harvest. The kites were flown on special string that allowed it to be cut easily by another kite's string. Kite flyers could compete against each other and the kite whose string stayed intact would be the winner.
The henna tattoos are part of our marriage ceremonies. Beautiful tattoos cover the hands of women. These tattoos go away in about four to five days. We will have people at the festival that will be painting on the hands of women who would like the tattoos.
Food will be provided by the families and members of PSA. We will have traditional food that is prepared in the homes of our families; halal meat, vegetarian dishes and sweet things to eat.
What does it cost?
The kite flying and tattoos are free. There is a €3 charge to cover the cost of food for those that wish to eat. The event is non-profit and we are happy to share our culture with those that wish to come to the festival.
Do you have any future events planned?
This event is our largest, but we do have others planned. Later this year we will be hosting a cricket workshop where there will also be food and music. Next year we will participate in the International Food Festival at the university.
About PSA:
The Pakistani Student Association was created to represent the culture of Pakistan in its original form. It creates a network for students coming from Pakistan to the Netherlands. They host a few events each year to share their culture with others and to get together with others from their country. For more information about the festival or PSA click the link below.
