MUZAFFARABAD: Authorities in Pakistan are planning to launch a bus route from the Kashmir town of Mirpur to the British city of Birmingham, 8,000 kilometres (5,000 miles) away. [nggallery id=114] The mammoth journey will take travellers through some of the most dangerous areas of Pakistan on their way to Iran, Turkey and Europe before reaching […]
On Sunday, September 9, 2012, the lively people of Karachi displayed their creativity and their love for the sun and sand at the Sea View, Clifton, Karachi, during the second sand castle building contest by Let’s Build On (LBoN) organised by a group of young, dynamic art aficionados. [nggallery id=68] Building sand castles is a fun […]
LAHORE: The second stage of the Punjab Youth Sports Festival – the Union Council level – will start today (Saturday) after finalisation of the registration process and participants reporting in their respective Sports and Youth Development Councils. Some of the remaining events of the Neighbourhood and Village level of the Punjab Youth Festival, which were […]
ISLAMABAD: Lok Virsa (National Institute of Folk & Traditional Heritage) on Tuesday created a three-dimensional cultural display on Qehwa Khana at the Pakistan National Museum of Ethnology of the federal capital. The diorama portrays the ancient tradition of green tea house in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Talking on the occasion, Lok Virsa Executive Director Khalid Javaid, who […]
Teens sporting chain-link bags, fashionable young moms and dapper old men mingled at a mela organised to celebrate Navroz (also spelled Nauroz) at the Beach Luxury Hotel on Saturday evening, exchanging ‘Navroz Mubaraks’ and loudly calling out to each other. The sea breeze was thick with the sound of Gujarati, as the Zoroastrian community of […]
ISLAMABAD: The NGO Mehergarh will arrange a “Youth Sufi Singing Contest” today at Lok Virsa. The programme will be arranged through collaboration between Mehergarh, Lok Virsa and PTV. Besides Sufi singing competition, a web-based resource centre on Sufism and a documentary on spiritual heritage of Pakistan will also be launched on the occasion. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\09\02\story_2-9-2012_pg11_4
[nggallery id=71] Pakistan’s independence day (Urdu: یوم آزادی or Youm-e-Azadi) is a national holiday held on 14 August to celebrate Pakistan’s independence from the Subcontinent and British Raj. The official festivities usually take place in Islamabad and commence with the raising of the national flag on the President and Prime Minister Presidential and Parliament buildings and later the leaders deliver speeches that are televised live. In the speech, they […]
[nggallery id=73] Pakistan Day (Urdu: یوم پاکستان, lit. Youm-e-Pakistan) or Pakistan Resolution Day also Republic Day is a national holiday in Pakistan to commemorate the Lahore Resolution of 1940 and the adoption of the first constitution of Pakistan during the transition of the Dominion of Pakistan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on 23 March 1956 making Pakistan the world’s first Islamic republic. Republic Day parade by the armed forces is a common celebration for the […]
[nggallery id=74] One of the major attractions of Pakistan Cultural Festivals are Kalash Valleys Festivals. The Kalash Valleys of Rumbur, Bunboret and Birir are within Chitral in the North-West Frontier Province, near Nuristan in Afghanistan. The people here are some of the only non-Muslims for hundreds of miles. The home of kafir Kalash or wearers […]
[nggallery id=75] The Lok Virsa Folk Festival is the largest cultural activity in Pakistan, in fact it so popular that artisans and performers form many countries participate in the event that has been held annually now for the last 20 years. Here is where you will see Pakistan’s traditionally rich culture at its finest, where performers gather […]
[nggallery id=77] Fairs are celebrated everywhere in the world with great cultural and historical backgrounds, sometimes to commemorate a special event or seasonal change. This fair, held in the small but historic town of Sibi. Sibi lies 163 Kms-3 hrs drive to the south east of Quetta at the mouth of the famous “Bolan Pass” […]
[nggallery id=79] In Pakistan, Christmas is celebrated by Pakistani Christians and is often locally referred to as the “Big Day” or “Great Day”. While December 25 is a public holiday in Pakistan, it is not officially designated as Christmas, but rather as the birthday of Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. Christianity in Pakistan constitutes the second largest religious minority […]
[nggallery id=80] The festival is limited in its celebrations in Pakistan. Instead, the celebrations of spring known as ‘Jashn-e-baharaan’ in Urdu, are carried on in the entire country for almost a month. Basant, in particular, is celebrated in eastern Punjab especially Lahore. Lahore being the historic capital of Punjab celebrates Basant with a lot of vigour and […]
[nggallery id=81] Eid al-Adha’ or “Festival of Sacrifice” or “Greater Eid” is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his sonIshmael (Isma’il) as an act of obedience to God, before God intervened to provide him with a sheep to sacrifice instead. Eid al-Adha is the latter of two Eid festivals celebrated by Muslims, whose basis comes […]
[nggallery id=82] The holiday of Eid Al-Fitr (urdu: عيد الفطر) marks the end of the fasting period of Ramadan and the first day of the following month, after another new moon has been sighted. The Eid falls after 29 or 30 days of fasting, per the lunar sighting. Eid Al-Fitr means the back to the fitrah; usually a […]
Sometimes referred to as “the night of decree or measures”, Laylat al-Qadr is considered the most holy night of the year. Muslims believe that Laylat al-Qadr is the night in which the Qur’an was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Also, it is believed to have occurred on an odd-numbered night during the last 10 days of Ramadan, either the night […]
[nggallery id=83] Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating and drinking during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and submissiveness to God. Muslims fast for the sake of God (Arabic: الله, trans: Allah) and to offer more prayer than usual. […]
[nggallery id=85] Rabi’ al-awwal (ربيع الأوّل) is the third month in the Islamic calendar. During this month, Muslims around the world celebrate Mawlid – the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Sunni Muslims believe the exact date of birth of Muhammad to have been on the twelfth of this month, whereas Shi’a Muslims believe him to have been born on the dawn of the […]