Lahore, being the richest cultural city in Pakistan, celebrates a number of festivals throughout the year. It is known for the festivals of Basant and Mela Chiraghan, but many others are celebrated in the metropolis as well.
The biggest, or perhaps the best known, festival is that of Jashn-e-Baharaan held in February each year. It is a Punjabi festival celebrating the onset of the spring season and is also called the Basant Festival of kites. This festival is celebrated with kite flying competitions all over the city especially in the Androon-E-Shehr (The Inner City or the Walled City) area. Every year the sky is filled with colorful kites of all shapes and sizes flown from rooftops. The kites are flown on strings called "Dorr" which is a special thread with cut glass embedded within which serves to cut the thread of competitor kites more effectively. Some of the kite-flying competitions get extremely competitive and serious. Women, on this day are seen wearing a bright yellow dress up to the hilt. This festival gained more and more importance over the years and used to attract people from all over the world. But since 2007, it has been banned due to deaths associated with the kites strangling people.[1]
Mela Chiraghan or Mela Shalamar (Festival of Lights) is a three-day annual festival to mark the urs (death anniversary) of the PunjabiSufi poet and saint Shah Hussain. It takes place at the shrine of Shah Hussain in Baghbanpura, on the outskirts of Lahore, Pakistan, adjacent to the Shalimar Gardens. The festival used to take place in the Shalimar Gardens also, until President Ayub Khan ordered against it in 1958.[2]
This festival used to be the largest festival in the Punjab, but now comes second to Basant.
The show has been described as an eloquent expression of Pakistan's heritage and an authentic account of its agricultural and industrial achievement's. The fortress stadium, the venue of the show is thronged by active participants, foreign visitors and peoples who watch the festival with great enthusiasm, verve and aplomb. A large number of them are interested in watching and appreciating the best breeds of livestock. Many derive pleasure by watching other activities such as the display parade of animals, dances by horses and camels, polo matches, dog shows and their races, vaudeville acts of stuntmen, the mass display of the military band, rhythmical physical exercise by the children, decorated industrial floats and torch light tattoo shows. Additional attractions include a subtle interplay of lights to weave enticing patterns at night and breath taking acts by foreign groups. The show began as a modest exhibition organized by the army to project the cattle wealth of the country in the early fifties.
Pakistan is an agricultural country and its prosperity depends on agriculture and livestock. The cattle show provides incentives to the farmers to develop agriculture and livestock. The cattle show encourages the farmers to graze their animals.
Today it is an international event to which come dignitaries from abroad and visitors and foreign tourists. The organizing committee comprises representatives of a number of agencies including army, rangers, LMC schools, the police, industrialists and the art councils.[3]
The World Performing Arts Festival is held every autumn (usually in November) at the Alhamra Arts Council, a large venue consisting of several theatres and amphitheatres. This ten-day festival consists of musicals, theatre, concerts, dances, solos, mime and puppet shows. The festival has an international flavour with nearly 80 percent of the shows performed by international performers. On average 15-20 different shows are performed every day of the festival.
Literature
==Lahore International Conference on Culture== Culture is a set of rules and behavioral patterns we learn with socialization. However, in a globalized (and multicultural) world culture became a subject of discussion from various points of view, and its importance is not losing strength. In the past century, we witnessed many attempts to foster cultural agendas using popular culture where identities were formed to present one nation to other nations in a favorable way, and where audiences were confronted with various messages that are sometimes blurred with first-hand experiences. States indeed invest funding in their cultural policies, particularly in their cultural policies oriented towards abroad via external cultural institutes, or tourist offers where culture is emphasized as an achievement of a particular nation (most notably, in art and music).
Cultural relations, on the other hand, are centered on creating mutual recognition and understanding, however, many scholars and practitioners expressed criticism calling western countries imperialists imposing their cultural patterns over less advanced countries just via peaceful means and not through colonialism anymore. On the other hand, culture is often a subject of discussion when minority groups are at stake because minorities find themselves surrounded by different cultures, and in a dilemma of whether to assimilate or preserve their culture while still trying to lead average lives. The latter is then the subject of criticism from conservatives and the Far Right that insist on integration, an unclear term that sometimes seems more like forced integration.
Papers and Research articles on the following topics are also invited for publication and presentation.
Conference Theme and Discussion Topics:
• The Role of Culture in the Implementation of The 2030 Agenda For Sustainable Development. • Multicultural Cities: The Challenges of Urban Governance. • Culture and Nationalism: Accepting Cultural Diversity. • Religion and Culture for Interfaith Harmony. • Cultural Diplomacy for Sustainable Development. • Intangible Cultural Heritage. • Culture and Media.
Objectives of The Conference:
Share experiences and propose strategic recommendations to strengthen culture-based sustainable development initiatives at the international, national, regional, and local levels;
Present and discuss the draft Cultural Policy of Pakistan- for Sustainable Development in the context of implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Creating the Cultural Identity of Pakistan all over the world
Portraying the positive, peaceful, and soft image of Pakistan
Proposed Speakers:
High-level representatives of Governments and International Organizations, internationally renowned experts, representatives of the private sector, Universities, and non-governmental organizations from Australia, Germany, Switzerland, India, Sri Lanka, Jordan, Mexico, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh, United States of America, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark, and Norway.
Expected Outcomes: • The Lahore Outcomes: Recommendations on maximizing the role of culture to achieve sustainable development and effective ways of integrating culture in planning and regeneration of policies and creative economy and quality of life. • An international platform to share challenges, best practices, and case studies on the preservation and redevelopment of the Cultural Diplomacy of Pakistan. • Strategic input to finalize the Youth Exchange Program with partner countries to strengthen the culture, and share the values and traditions at International levels.
This event is a celebration of women who are geniuses, leaders, inspiring, & have overcome the most extreme adversity – The event aims to recognize the achievements of Top Women Inspiring the youth through their Achievements.
The First Ever Women's Excellence Awards are Organized by Youth Revolution Clan and Kinnaird College for Women. Awardees Include:
Sowaba Shehzad (President Women German Chamber of Commerce)
Musarat Misbah (CEO Depilux)
Dr. Shehla Javed Akram
Afshan Sultan (Hayyat Foundation)
Dr. Sadaf Attique
Maha Jamil (Chairperson YRC)
Shameelah Ismail (CEO Ghar Par)
The event is founded (Chairman Youth Revolution Clan)],[4] Maha Jamil (Co-chair YRC) and Ms. Sair S. Farooqi (Head of Business Studies Department Kinnaird College). The event was co-organized by Mehwish Haroon (President Kinnaird Entrepreneurial Club) with Asfand Yar Naseer (President YRC) .Official partners Include United We Reach, HospitAll, Hayat Foundation and Azeem raza Photography.
National
Pakistan Day[3] (23 March): A military parade takes place to commemorate the anniversary of the Pakistan Resolution passed on March 23, 1940.
Independence Day (14 August): Meetings, processions, rallies, decorations, and illustrations.
Defence Day[3] (6 September): Parades and exhibitions of military equipment. Visits to the war memorials.
National Industrial Exhibition Lahore (3rd week of November for 15 days): Held at Fortress Stadium, Lahore. Exhibition and sale of industrial products and handicrafts of Pakistan.[3]
Faiz Ahmad Faiz Mela/Festival .In honor of the late poet Faiz.
Ali Arshad Mir Mela/Festival. In honor of epic Punjabi Poet Prof. Ali Arshad Mir.
Related Research Articles
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Punjabi culture grew out of the settlements along the five rivers which served as an important route to the Near East as early as the ancient Indus Valley civilization, dating back to 3000 BCE. Agriculture has been the major economic feature of the Punjab and has therefore formed the foundation of Punjabi culture, with one's social status being determined by landownership. The Punjab emerged as an important agricultural region, especially following the Green Revolution during the mid-1960's to the mid-1970's, has been described as the "breadbasket of both India and Pakistan". Besides being known for agriculture and trade, the Punjab is also a region that over the centuries has experienced many foreign invasions and consequently has a long-standing history of warfare, as the Punjab is situated on the principal route of invasions through the northwestern frontier of the Indian subcontinent, which promoted to adopt a lifestyle that entailed engaging in warfare to protect the land. Warrior culture typically elevates the value of the community's honour (izzat), which is highly esteemed by Punjabis.
Baghbanpura is a town and Union Council of Shalimar tehsil, Lahore District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located along the Grand Trunk Road some 5 kilometres northeast of the main Lahore city.
Shah Hussain, also known as Madhoo Lal Hussain, was a 16th-century Punjabi Sufi poet who is regarded as a pioneer of the Kafi form of Punjabi poetry. He lived during the ruling periods of Mughal emperors Akbar and his son Jahangir.
Mela Chiraghan or Mela Shalimar is a three-day annual festival to mark the urs of the Punjabi poet and Sufi saint Shah Hussain who lived in Lahore in the 16th century.
Shalimar is an administrative town (tehsil) in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It forms one of the 10 municipalities of Lahore City District.
Lahore Canal begins at the Bambawali-Ravi-Bedian (BRB) Canal that runs through the east of the city of Lahore, Punjab in Pakistan. The 37 miles (60 km) long waterway was initially built by the Mughals. It was then upgraded by the British in 1861. It is an important part of the city's cultural heritage.
The culture of Lahori People is a manifestation of the lifestyle, festivals, literature, music, language, politics, cuisine and socio-economic conditions of its people. It is characterised by the blending of South Asian, Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Western influences.
Punjabi festivals are various festive celebrations observed by Punjabis in Pakistan, India and the diaspora Punjabi community found worldwide. The Punjabis are a diverse group of people from different religious background that affects the festivals they observe. According to a 2007 estimate, the total population of Punjabi Muslims is about 90 million, with 97% of Punjabis who live in Pakistan following Islam, in contrast to the remaining 30 million Punjabi Sikhs and Punjabi Hindus who predominantly live in India.
Vasanta, also referred to as Basant, refers to the Indian spring.
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Basant is a spring time kite flying event during the Basant Panchami festival in the Punjab. It falls on Basant, also called Basant Panchami. According to the Punjabi calendar it is held on the fifth day of lunar month of Magha marking the start of spring.
Nighat Chaudhry is a Kathak classical dancer who was born on 24 February 1959, in Lahore, Pakistan. She moved to London with her parents when she was one year old. She studied ballet and contemporary dance; but when she was 14, she met Nahid Siddiqui, one of the greatest Kathak dancers, and began training with her. Inspired to learn the classical forms of her own culture, she abandoned ballet. In order to understand and absorb the nuances of the Indian style, she wished to be closer to its origins; and she moved back to Pakistan. She eventually became a trained Sufi & Mystique Kathak classical dancer and has been active as a professional Kathak dancer for over three decades.
Punjabis are the majority ethnic group in Pakistan. They celebrate a number of religious and cultural festivals:
Huma Safdar is a teacher, theatre artist, Punjabi language activist and director of feminist theatre “Sangat”. As an artist, she worked with Punjab Lok Rahs. She has taught as art and Punjabi language teacher in Lahore Grammar School. She has contributed a lot to promote Punjabi theatre, literature and folklore.
↑ (Shafqat Tanvir Mirza) "A Victim of Apathy (Mela Chiraghan)". The News International newspaper via Academy of the Punjab in North America website. 29 March 2005. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
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