Thousand of people visited the Cultural Village Foundation-Katara to celebrate Qatar National Day and watch the World Cup final yesterday.
Doha: Football fans and locals who attended yesterday’s celebrations of Qatar National Day and the World Cup final in Katara commended the Cultural Village Foundation for its month-long World Cup activities and festivities, celebrating Qatari culture. They said Katara presented a fresh perspective about Qatar.
The Peninsula spoke to a few tourists, who claimed that learning about various cultures while also highlighting Qatar’s helped them appreciate the wonderful traditions of this country.
Katara marked the National Day celebrations yesterday with shows by paratroopers and paramotor from Joint Special Forces, and Qatari Ardha or the traditional sword dance at Katara esplanade.
Sharon Williams from USA said: “It’s astonishing. This is my first time witnessing Qatar National Day and it offered a window of information on what Qatar is and was throughout the years. It’s a different take of culture because usually we’re touring Asia and Europe.”
“Katara is the ideal location to witness both the heritage and modernism in Qatar, two things that are hard to find elsewhere. Because of Katara’s variety of offerings, being here, especially during the World Cup, is a little bit special as it honours the legacy and customs of Qatar and other nations. I especially like the dhow festival because celebrating the maritime heritage is very rare nowadays. It also previews what the past looked like,” said Cinderella Santiago from Portugal.
Long-time Mexican resident of Qatar, John Geronimo, said Katara is the place where you can dive deep into cultures and traditions of the country. “My family really enjoyed the holidays like Qatar National Day and Eid in Katara. Each year, it takes a fresh approach to its programmes. They include traditional practices with a contemporary twist, which engages the public to participate.”
According to Katara, a large public turnout was witnessed at the waterfront, amphitheatre, and the Wisdom Square yesterday.
Prof. Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, General Manager of Katara, in a press statement expressed his pleasure that people from all over the globe were celebrating Qatar’s National Day, which falls during the World Cup finals. He emphasised that Katara had made a spectacular impression as a hub for the exchange of cultures.
He noted that Katara harnessed all of its resources to give everyone with a wide array of entertainment options so that fans may return to their home countries with the sweetest and best memories.
The grand activities accompanying the World Cup at the cultural village started on November 18 and continued until yesterday which included festivals, concerts, exhibitions, live performances, and the 12th Katara Traditional Dhow Festival, among others.
It had 51 main events, 300 sub-activities with the participation of 22 countries.
Overall, it hosted 20 exhibitions that focused on sports and arts.
The Katara Publishing House meanwhile has published 22 books on culture and sports.
