(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Raynald C Rivera | The Peninsula
A spirit of patriotism and national pride filled the air as a vast array of events and activities celebrating the National Day kicked off yesterday at the Cultural Village Foundation-Katara.
Hundreds of people thronged over 60 events and activities offered by different public and private sector entities spread across the Cultural Village offering unique experiences to both citizens and residents of various ages.
Officially inaugurating the events, Katara General Manager Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti along with Brigadier General Rashid bin Mubarak Al-Mannai of the Qatar Emiri Air Force toured the Esplanade and other areas in the Cultural Village.
'At the Cultural Village Foundation-Katara, we are thrilled to offer an exciting array of cultural activities and artistic performances that will last for eight consecutive days starting today, said Dr. Al Sulaiti.
The events and activities on offer to the public are varied, some of which are first of their kind but all are anchored on the theme ‘Promise of Prosperity and Glory.' One of the exciting spectacles at the event are the performances by paratroopers staged by Joint Special Forces.
Visitors with penchant for culture and the arts enjoyed visiting traditional tents that offer Qatari hospitality, participating in art and craft workshops, and viewing fine-art exhibitions.
The wide selection of fine art exhibits included those by Qatari artists Ahmed Alawi and Ahmed Al-Maadheed among others. Ooredoo has joined this year's celebration in Katara with a huge pavilion containing, among others, a poetry house and a museum.
Many children were seen immersing themselves in various workshops such as on fashion and dolls, clay, engraving Qatar's flag, colouring and drawing, all of which depict Qatar's important historical and geographical elements and emphasize on the most important landmarks in Katara. Competitions, traditional games and entertaining shows added luster to the celebrations. Many visitors also enjoyed a theatrical play by Qatari youth.
A mosaic painting of H H Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has been set up under the supervision of the artist, Ghazala Mohammed. In addition, visitors also enjoyed 15 artists doing live painting, as well as caricatures of visitors with a National Day touch.
Dr. Al-Sulaiti invited people to come to Katara and witness the events and take part in the activities which run until December 19. He thanked the Ministry of Defense, Qatar Air Force, Qatar Media Corporation, Qatar Television, Hamad Medical Corporation and all the participating government and private sector entities. Brig. Gen. Al Mannai noted that this is the first time Qatar's Air Force is participating in Katara's National Day celebrations and expressed hope that the pavilion will entertain many visitors with its wide collection of aircraft models.
An event called ‘Rescue with Air Ambulance' by Qatar's Emiri Air Force will be held at 4pm today Katara waterfront.
Spectacular military performances are scheduled on December 18 and 19 which will witness the participation of 60 paratroopers and include parachute parades, fireworks and paramotors.
The much awaited return of the traditional Qatari dhow Fath Al-Kheir on its third voyage which took it to Oman and Kuwait is expected to see a large number of audience on Katara Beach on December 18.
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