The closing leg of the 19th Al Dhafra Festival begins
Al Dhafra, 3 January / WAM / The final leg of the 19th edition of the Al Dhafra Festival kicked off today in Madinat Zayed in the Al Dhafra region, and its activities will continue until January 22, organized by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority.
Caravans of camels arrived from the Emirates and the Arab Gulf countries to enter the nighting booths, to participate in 6 rounds of Tallad for local and Majahim camels (partners, the main round, Talad 1 for tribal people (symbol), and Talad round for tribal people 2), in preparation for presenting them to the similarity, teething, and sorting committees, the medical committee, and the arbitration committee. Each round was allocated 10 prizes, with a total of 60 prizes, and will be announced. Tomorrow, Sunday, are the results of the rounds and the crowning of the first-place winners at the camel auction stand in Madinat Zayed.
The results and the crowning of the winners are also broadcast on the Baynounah Channel and the Turathna platforms of the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, and on Al Dhafra Festival Radio (90.1 FM) in the vicinity of the Al-Mazayna site.
The camel auction at the final leg of the Al Dhafra Festival includes 118 rounds for purebred camel breeds of the locals, Al-Majahim, Al-Wadh and Al-Asayel hybrids, for which 1,135 prizes worth 53 million and 797 thousand dirhams were allocated, while 60 prizes worth 1,800,000 dirhams were allocated for the mahalab competition, distributed over 6 rounds for the locals and Al-Majahim.
Al Dhafra Heritage Market, which accompanies the festival, receives visitors daily from four in the afternoon until ten in the evening, and offers a distinctive experience through its various shops that offer traditional handicrafts, popular foods, smoked meats and fats, and traditional clothes.
The market hosts a number of competitions, including the sour milk competition, date decoration and packaging, the popular cooking competition, children’s competitions, and other various competitions. Folklore groups also present distinctive artistic paintings, in addition to events and activities presented by the pavilions of participating and supporting entities.
Today, as part of the festival’s activities, the “Al Dhafra Challah Competition” was launched with the participation of a number of contestants who competed in performing the traditional art of the Challah before the jury consisting of the poet Abdullah bin Omar Al Mansouri, the poet Marshan bin Noman Al Kaabi, and the poet Ahmed Salem Al Shamsi, according to a number of criteria including performance, choice of text, mastery of melody, and aesthetics of sound.
The organization of the competition comes within the framework of highlighting the Emirati artistic heritage, enhancing the heritage aspects of the festival, and introducing its visitors to the melodic diversity in the Emirates. The competition also contributes to revealing promising talents and voices in the performing arts and encouraging them to develop.
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