people take part in various activities during the Euro Village Festival being held at Lok Virsa. Photos Express/agencies
As many as 14 European countries had set up stalls in the festival at the Lok Virsa Heritage Museum as they marked the 60th Year of the Treaty of Rome an annual celebration of peace and unity in Europe and marks the anniversary of the historical ‘Schuman declaration’ made by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman in 1957 announcing the creation of the first European Economic Community. (EEC).
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The carnival had a host of large cutouts of key landmarks such as the clock tower Big Ben of London, the Eiffel Tower of Paris, the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Pisa.
Apart from just providing the standard flyers and brochures informing visitors about each of the countries, the stalls by Germany, Denmark, Greece, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Portugal, Sweden, Romania, Bulgaria and France sought to educate the citizens of the capital about their countries through cultural activities.
The Czech Republic, where ice hockey is almost as popular as football, if not more, had to improvise to show how the game is played. Despite the heat, an official donned the jersey of the Czech national ice hockey team and brandished the stick. But it was a little difficult for him to show how the game is played since there was no ice floor or Zamboni at the Lok Virsa. Hence, the puck was substituted with a ball.
Bemused visitors saw the game being played on a cemented patch of land as a mix between traditional field hockey (Pakistan’s national sport), golf and cricket. Some trying their hand at the game were seen trying a combination of cricket drives and golf-esque swings with the over-sized stick.
Over at the France stall, the traditional way to while away a lazy Saturday afternoon was on display – a couple of guys hanging around a football table knocking the ball around.
Belgium, which has more than waffles to offer, showcased another claim to fame – comics. Some of the world’s most popular comics came from Belgium such as the Adventures of Tintin and The Smurfs. Thus it was apt that the stall offered visitors the chance to colour comics. While this was an instant draw for the children, some adults also tried their hand at it.
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The Netherlands hosted a number of different games for visitors to try their hands at.
With the gastric tract certainly one of the quickest ways to a Pakistani’s heart, it was no surprise that most countries chose to showcase their particular delicacies.
Romania presented their speciality desserts such as Cozonac, Placinta de Mere, and Drob among others.
Spain had some live cooking of its traditional chicken and rice.
Apart from that, there were stalls educating visitors about all the different languages spoken in the EU. Another stall had quizzes about the region. A stall offered to paint flags of different countries on faces of children.
Concert
Like no night spent out in Europe is complete without any sort of the different genres of music, the Eurovillage carnival too would have been incomplete without some live music.
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Hence it was fitting that the live performances with which the festival ended, provided something for everyone.
Danish band “Live Strings” brought the classical side of European music featuring the violin and the cello. On the other hand, Hungarian-Pakistani rock band “Wild ManGoes”.
Known for its collaboration, on the night the band invited popular singer Quratulain Balouch (QB) to perform with them.
Together they swept the crowd off their feet.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 8th, 2017.
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