from Colin M D and Floyd Alvares
Daijiworld Media Network - Abu Dhabi (GA)
Abu Dhabi, Dec 12: St Joseph’s Parish, Abu Dhabi held its 21st consecutive Christmas Festival at the St Joseph’s church compound, with lots of festivities. The Christmas Bazaar has been held yearly with the sole purpose of raising funds for charity. The collections from the Bazaar have increased over the years and have indeed helped needy people all across the globe. The Bazaar is an event to get all the communities of the parish together to celebrate the arrival of the Christmas season.
The Bazaar which started off way back in 1987 is a day which every parishioner in Abu Dhabi looks forward to. A complete community event which features food from every corner of the world along with game stalls for the young and old alike. Computer games, Basketball, Knocking the cans, lucky dips, face painting, dedications played by the DJ and many more activities ensure a fun-filled day. Kids too had a ball with the arrival of Santa Claus sitting atop a camel.
The advent of technology has brought about quite a few changes. A striking change being structure of the stalls, held together by aluminum scaffolding, something not seen before at the Bazaar. Besides stalls showcasing the latest PC games, new games have been added to keep the crowds occupied all through the day.
The Bazaar was declared open by Bishop Paul Hinder of the Vicariate of Arabia who cut the ceremonial ribbon and released balloons. Fr Savarimuthu, parish priest and chairman of the organizing committee, urged the parishioners to have an eventful time and interact with all communities by visiting their respective stalls. The organising committee led by the dynamic Dolphy Vaz, has spent sleepless nights to ensure that everything goes smoothly on this fun filled day.
Carol Singing was performed by the various communities which kept the Christmas spirit flowing throughout the day. Various dances were presented by youngsters of the parish. There was a magic show along with a talent show held at the Church hall.
The day ended with the eagerly awaited Raffle draw which had a Hyundai Getz and airline tickets along with various vouchers provided by the gracious sponsors.