(MENAFN- The Peninsula) joelyn baluyut |
The Peninsula
Trying to figure out where to spend Garangao night? The Fire Station has announced that its inaugural Garangao night will be held next week, April 4 from 8pm to 11pm.
“Our activities include painting on tote bags, distributing sweets, henna, and more for people of all ages,” said the Fire Station on its official social media account.
The event will be held at the Plaza of the Fire Station located opposite Al Bidda Park and near Hamad Medical City.
Garangao is one of the most important Ramadan events in Qatar, during which children knock on doors and get goodies from neighbours.
According to Qatar Tourism, the event, which is being celebrated on the 14th day of the holy month, is a distinctively Gulf custom that is most prominent in the country.
“Occurring midway through Ramadan, it originated as a way to celebrate children as they attempted to fast. Families gather at a Ghabga, and hand out the Garangao– mixed bags of nuts, sweets, sugared kernels, and other candies to children in the neighborhood, who sing the“Gara,” a traditional song, through the night. Gara is the Khaliji (Gulf) word for the sound of two things knocking together, connoting the sound of the nuts and sweets in bags, or the sound of knocking on doors.”
The Fire Station is Doha's leading contemporary art space and supporter of creative residencies.
Meanwhile, it has also reiterated that the the Open call for Artist in Residence 8 (2023-2024) submission deadline is only until April 15.
The programme is open to all artistic disciplines for Qatari artists and artists residing in Qatar who are 21 or older and have a valid Qatari ID.
The aforementioned initiative will run from September 15 to June 15, 2024 for nine months. Artists will be provided a studio space at the Fire Station over the duration of the program, which provides a chance for them to develop their artistic practices.
It provides networking opportunities, mentorship, collaboration with curators and visiting critics, open studios, and access to the building's amenities including the woodshop and fabrication lab. Interested applicants may apply through firestation.org.qa.