Al Janadriyah Festival: Celebrating The Saudi Identity (image-twitter/AlJanadriaFest)
Every year in late winter or early spring, a two-week cultural festival symbolizing the Saudi identity known as Al Janadriyah is celebrated.
This annual cultural festival named after the village near Riyadh showcases a bunch of exciting cultural activities including camel and horse-racing spectaculars, sword dancing, poetry and music as well as crafts such as carpet-weaving, pottery, regional costumes and cuisine.
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Being the national cultural festival of Saudi Arabia, it is a big draw for local Saudis, who turn up in huge numbers.
Since 1985, the festival has been known as one of the Kingdom’s most precious events, organized by the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG), which is said to be the Bedouin backbone of the Kingdom.
Anyone visiting the festival will get a trip down memory lane, especially at the fair’s Madinah village.
The entry point to the festival village mimic’s the city’s ancient fortress such as famous Anbariah and Masri gateways. The fair featured in the festival is now being promoted as an important stop for tourists visiting the country.
The crowd tend to grow, when evening sets in, with a large number of families and youngsters in big groups, arriving. What actually stands out among them all is the camel races, falconry, and performances by traditional dance troupes liven the atmosphere.
Most of the stalls sell the Arabian ‘attar’ (perfume), leather accessories, kitchenware, carpets and dates, and numerous outlets offering Saudi coffee and mint tea.
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The folk market, games, and old tales, all in a traditional setting reveal the simplicity and identity of society at the time.
The National Heritage and Cultural Festival is keen to support craftsmen by choosing handicrafts for each region according to special criteria and mechanisms. More than 300 artisans take part in the festival.
