12 december wordt mijn eerste werkdag in Sydney. De organisatie waarin ik 6 maanden zal werken heet Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia. Het is een Indische organisatie gevestigd in Sydney. Zij proberen de Indische cultuur hier te vertegenwoordigen aan de hand van evenementen en festivals. Mijn functie is Event Manager. Het hoogtepunt in mijn ‘carrière’ zal bestaan uit de hoofdverantwoordelijkheid voor het enorme Holifeest waar kleuren centraal staan.
Aangezien mijn website momenteel ook gebruikt zal worden voor internationale doeleinden via AIESEC, zal ik hier verder gaan in het Engels.
Next weekend, from 18 till 20 May, it's time for our big festival Holi Mahotsav 2011! It promises to be a big success. Since January we are fulltime working on it. Amazing how much aspects are involved in the preparations of such event!
Holi Mahotsav is the festival of Friendship and Harmony and celebrates this through Indian and international dance and music. For two days, people can enjoy a continuous stream of performances on the main stage. Visitors can taste the traditional Indian food and many merchandise stalls will present attributes such as jewelery, clothes, henna, etc. There will be yoga sessions and several exhibitions will be running during the weekend. Since it is a traditional Indian festival, there are also several traditions during the festival:
On Saturday, there is the Rath Yatra, a parade that goes through the center of Sydney and ends on the location of the festival. Saturday is also the day of the Holi Fire, the bonfire which burns all the evil, sins and other bad things of the last year. The origins of the traditional lighting of the Holi fire lies in the burning of demons who are representing evil. The Bonfire signifies the exorcism of evil and the end of dark or demonic forces. During the fire, people are dancing and singing around it, celebrating victory of good and the destruction of evil.
On Sunday people play with colours (coloured powder). This day, the day after the Holi Fire, is called Dhuleti and celebrates spring. It is on this day that the actual play of colours takes place. People take extreme delight in spraying coloured water and powder on each other and sprinkle each other with fragrances. The colours symbolize the nature around us, which once again will start to grow and bloom in spring. Also exuberant eating, drinking and singing are an intrinsic part of the Holi festivity. Everybody, young, old, family, friends, enjoys these celebrations till late in the night.
My main function in this festival is the responsibility of the whole programme. I made sure there were enough performers to fill up the whole event and function as the contact person for all the groupes. All practical arrangements that have to do with the acts, material, stage management, sound managers and technical responsibles, MCs, venue responsibles, security, city of Sydney, etc, go through me.
During the festival I need to make sure that all the peformances are going smoothley. I will welcome every single dancer, singer or musicain and guide every act, so visitors can enjoy a well organised programme of music and dance extravaganza.
If you like to know more about the festival or enjoy pictures of previous years, you can visit our website: www.holimahotsav.com.au
Aangezien mijn website momenteel ook gebruikt zal worden voor internationale doeleinden via AIESEC, zal ik hier verder gaan in het Engels.
Next weekend, from 18 till 20 May, it's time for our big festival Holi Mahotsav 2011! It promises to be a big success. Since January we are fulltime working on it. Amazing how much aspects are involved in the preparations of such event!
Holi Mahotsav is the festival of Friendship and Harmony and celebrates this through Indian and international dance and music. For two days, people can enjoy a continuous stream of performances on the main stage. Visitors can taste the traditional Indian food and many merchandise stalls will present attributes such as jewelery, clothes, henna, etc. There will be yoga sessions and several exhibitions will be running during the weekend. Since it is a traditional Indian festival, there are also several traditions during the festival:
On Saturday, there is the Rath Yatra, a parade that goes through the center of Sydney and ends on the location of the festival. Saturday is also the day of the Holi Fire, the bonfire which burns all the evil, sins and other bad things of the last year. The origins of the traditional lighting of the Holi fire lies in the burning of demons who are representing evil. The Bonfire signifies the exorcism of evil and the end of dark or demonic forces. During the fire, people are dancing and singing around it, celebrating victory of good and the destruction of evil.
On Sunday people play with colours (coloured powder). This day, the day after the Holi Fire, is called Dhuleti and celebrates spring. It is on this day that the actual play of colours takes place. People take extreme delight in spraying coloured water and powder on each other and sprinkle each other with fragrances. The colours symbolize the nature around us, which once again will start to grow and bloom in spring. Also exuberant eating, drinking and singing are an intrinsic part of the Holi festivity. Everybody, young, old, family, friends, enjoys these celebrations till late in the night.
My main function in this festival is the responsibility of the whole programme. I made sure there were enough performers to fill up the whole event and function as the contact person for all the groupes. All practical arrangements that have to do with the acts, material, stage management, sound managers and technical responsibles, MCs, venue responsibles, security, city of Sydney, etc, go through me.
During the festival I need to make sure that all the peformances are going smoothley. I will welcome every single dancer, singer or musicain and guide every act, so visitors can enjoy a well organised programme of music and dance extravaganza.
If you like to know more about the festival or enjoy pictures of previous years, you can visit our website: www.holimahotsav.com.au
