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Hisham Aljundi
Doha
Qatar National Day (QND) celebrations kicked off on Thursday with the opening of Darb Al Saai.
Minister of Culture and Sports HE Salah bin Ghanim al Ali attended the opening.
Darb Al Saai activities are traditionally held prior to the Qatar National Day, which falls on December 18.
Citizens wearing traditional costumes gather at the venue to watch folk dance performances that reflect national heritage and identity.
Several national institutions are contributing to the celebrations with their pavilions showcasing their achievements over the years.
They are also conducting various activities and competitions for children and adults to spread awareness on themes like environment, health and education.
Ministries have a strong presence at the festival with displays regarding their programmes with focus on spreading awareness about the services they provide and people's responsibilities towards the nation.
Fahad al Ahbabi, spokesman of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME), told Qatar Tribune that the ministry is spreading awareness about caring for the environment.
He said the departments of the ministry are organising various activities for the people, especially the youth, on exploring the flora and fauna in Qatar.
The ministry's pavilion is hosting competitions on concepts like keeping the environment clean."Little Inspector" is one such competitions, which is set to make youngsters more aware about how to buy groceries.
The ministry is organising cruise trips for children to expose them to marine life in Qatar while workshops are being organised to train them on the right ways to dispose garbage.
Tarsheed, national programme for conservation and energy efficiency, set up a pavilion to give people tips that will help them rationalise water and electricity at homes.
Tarsheed aims to ensure Qatar's resources are protected for the benefit of the future generations in line with the Qatar's National Vision 2030.
Educational institutes such as Qatar University and Community College of Qatar are also displaying their achievements in academic qualification.
The Community College of Qatar is an academic institute aimed for Qataris who did not pursue their higher education and wish to resume, by offering different programs in arts, science and ICT.
Visitors at the festival had access to different Qatari local publications that were on display in the pavilion 'Jarayid'.
Traditional handcrafts and homemade food and different products were also on display in pavilions dedicated to Qataris who are starting their small businesses.
The word Darb Al Saai means"Postman's Path", in reference to the correspondents that conveyed messages and orders of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed founder of the state of Qatar.
