Zabeel Park in Dubai was crowded with over 20,000 Sri Lankans and other nationals under the flag of Sri Lanka on Friday 12 April 2019, in celebration of the Sri Lankan New Year Festival 2019, organized by the Consulate General of Sri Lanka, along with the Sri Lankan community living in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.
In addition to traditional New Year games and events, the Festival included several features such as free medical and dental camps, a free spectacle donation camp, a free legal advice camp, a Foreign Employment related advice camp run by the Consulate General, and a blood donation camp. The traditional Sri Lankan New Year games were open to both Sri Lankans and other nationals, and a large number of non-Sri Lankans actively took part in the games.
The event commenced with the “UAE- Sri Lanka Run of Tolerance” which was dedicated to the “Year of Tolerance” initiative declared by the Government of UAE in 2019. Several nationalities including the Chinese, Filipinos, Pakistanis, Indians, Italians, Kenyans and Sri Lankans participated in the “UAE- Sri Lanka Run of Tolerance”. Consul General Charitha Yattogoda and a representative of the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department of the UAE flagged off the run.
Thereafter, the event officially commenced with a multi-religious ceremony, representing the four major religions in Sri Lanka.
A large number of traditional games were kept open for both Sri Lankans and other nationals to participate during the day and the winners were given exclusive prizes which included air tickets to Sri Lanka, mobile phones, expensive home décor items, sound bars ,high-end TVs and a number of consolation prizes.
In addition, a special tourism zone was set up at the event where non- Sri Lankans were given the opportunity to snap selfies and upload them in Instagram. The persons who got the highest number of likes were able to receive exclusive gifts including hotel stays in Sri Lanka worth over US$ 1000 and two (02) return air tickets to Sri Lanka. The tourism zone also had a special counter of Sri Lanka Tea Board providing the opportunity for the non-Sri Lankan participants to taste a sip of Ceylon tea. The participants also had the chance to enjoy the Sri Lankan food sold at the venue by the Sri Lankan restaurants present at the event.
In line with Sri Lanka’s initiative to promote wellness tourism, a special tent from the renowned Sen Wellness Spa was also established at the venue, providing non- Sri Lankans with the exclusive opportunity of indulging in a Sri Lankan traditional oil massage.
Moreover, the event was open to a number of Sri Lankan and non- Sri Lankan companies to set up stalls on sponsorship basis and to promote their products.
Towards the evening, a “tug- of-war” competition was held among the staff and their family members of six Consulates General based in Dubai, namely, Bangladesh, China, India, Pakistan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. Some of the participating teams were led by the Consuls General themselves. The finals were held between China and Pakistan and the Pakistani team became the winners of the game receiving exclusive prizes sponsored by a leading UAE company.
New Year games were followed by the official opening ceremony of the cultural performances and prize giving ceremony. In recognition of the efforts of the Consulate General of Sri Lanka towards the Initiative of Tolerance, Mr. Fayaz Abdullah Almarzooqi of the Dubai Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department handed over a special memento and a certificate of the Department of Mohommad Bin Rashid for Islamic Culture to Consul General Charitha Yattogoda.
All Dubai Government institutes including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Police, Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Dubai Civil Defence, Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services and the Department of Mohommad Bin Rashid for Islamic Culture extended their fullest support for the event.
The event concluded with an enthralling traditional cultural performance by Ranwala Balakaya, led by Mr. Sahan Ranwala together with the famous vocalists Mr. Saman Lenin and Ms. Nilakshi Halapitiya, especially flown in from Sri Lanka.
This event was open to all entrants on free of charge basis owing to the expenses being borne by the sponsors. Mobitel, a leading mobile phone service operator based in Sri Lanka joined as the Key sponsor in this event in the platinum category and Frico International LLC, based in the UAE, joined the event in the Gold category as a sponsor. The other sponsors in the corporate category included RAK Bank, Bank of Ceylon, National Savings Bank of Sri Lanka, Dubai Duty Free, LuLu Group International, Al Ahalia Exchange and Al Ansari Exchange. Sri Lankan Airlines joined the event as the official travel partner while the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) - the National Television of Sri Lanka, was the exclusive electronic Media partner.
