Daily Star 30 July, 2004

There seems to be no end to local village festivals in Lebanon these days. From Jounieh and Zouk Mikael north of Beirut to Deir al-Qamar to the south in the Chouf mountains, towns and villages all across the country want to get in on the act. Some have had cultural celebrations for years, with music, fashion shows, and craft fairs offered up with the aim of providing local residents with entertainment and to attract visitors from the rest of the country and abroad.

The latest festival to hit the market is "Ehdeniyat," which will take place in the town of Ehden in north Lebanon from July 29 to August 20 in what the organizers hope will become an annual event.

Al Midaniyat Association in collaboration with La Libanaise des Jeux launched Ehdeniyat Tuesday, what they termed a first-of-its-kind festival in the town consisting of a variety of interactive social, cultural, environmental and entertaining activities.

The aim is to bring together a large number of talented Lebanese artists. This comes as part of an initiative to engage the community and attract visitors by bringing the natural, cultural and social attributes of Ehden to life and reinforcing its position on the tourist map.

This year's Ehdeniyat will kick off with "Herafiyat," a presentation of traditional handicrafts combined with a traditional fashion show, Ehden dabke dancing, antique exhibits and traditional village events. That will be followed by "Biiyat," an environmental tourism and agricultural exhibition, which will feature outdoor activities in Boueida and the Ehden Reserve such as hiking, archery, rock climbing, a hot air balloon and flying show, competitions and an environmental tourism and agricultural products exhibition. Interestingly enough for such a small festival, both these events enjoy the patronage of the Lebanon's Tourism Minister, Ali Hassan Al-Abdallah and Environment Minister Fares Boueiz.

The festival will also feature "Falakiyat," an evening of astronomy on Aug. 11 taking place in Al Blata, where people can enjoy star gazing through a telescope, screen projections, a scientific show, palm readings and tarot cards. Ehdeniyat will conclude with a Lebanese film festival between Aug. 17-20 entitled "Cinemaiyat," which will screen the work of prominent Lebanese film makers and host the Golden Apple Awards to recognize the top three short student films as part of an initiative to encourage young talent in the film industry. Another minister, Ghazi Aridi who heads the Culture department, is lending his name to the "Cinemaiyat."

Led by Rima Franjieh, the wife of Health Minister Suleiman Franjieh, a native family of Ehden, Al Midaniyat Association is a Zghorta-Ehden based group of dynamic individuals dedicated to serving the community by organizing and advocating social, cultural, environmental and entertaining events in Ehden.