JIZAN: The Jizan Winter Festival stages tonight Monday its thousand-strong Carnival Procession, the largest of its kind in Saudi Arabia. Held in the presence of the Emir of Jizan, Prince Muhammad Bin Nasser, the carnival hopes to attract visitors from all walks of life and promote the region's culture and tourist attractions whilst encouraging cultural and technical exchange between Saudi and foreign artists and performers. Carnival organizer Mamdouh Salim said that some 400 students and 200 children have been taking part in rehearsals for the procession at Jizan Sports Stadium, along with numerous performance groups from across the Kingdom and abroad. Participants also involve around 70 dressed up as cartoon characters, as well as souped-up cars and monster vehicles. The main themes of the procession draw on the Jizan's diverse environment of sea, plains and mountains, with procession groups portraying the themes and the daily cultural and professional lives lived in the corresponding areas. The centerpiece of the month-long Jizan Winter Festival is its Heritage Village on the Jizan South Corniche, where a range of events and activities are hosted in an environment recreating many of the traditional and historic features of Jizan. For visitors interested in the traditional crafts of the region, there are over 40 representatives of the typical Jizani produce displaying their art and handicraft skills. Fahd Ali, a young Jizani who inherited his trade via his father and grandfather, produces freshly-made confectionary which he offers to festival visitors at token prices. “It's enjoyable work and brings in a decent amount of money. Local puddings and desserts are still popular in Jizan despite the competition from imported products, and visitors to the festival who are trying them for the first time have responded very positively,” he said. Muhammad Jabir is exhibiting his carefully carved and crafted handmade wooden chairs. “These styles of chair have been around for a very long time and are regarded as an important part of local heritage,” he said. “Lots of people still have them in their homes and hang on to them to pass on to the next generation. They've proved very popular at the festival and I've sold quite a few. People like to place them in large sitting rooms, particular for sheikhs' meetings and for village elders.” Another typical Jizani product is sesame seed oil, a completely natural product containing no preservatives and which is used in many local dishes, particularly fish, meat, and fenugreek, and with desserts as well. Other crafts popular with visitors are the swords, the typical “jambiyya” daggers, and headscarves and bracelets, all made by Jizani hand. This year's festival, the third since its inception, opened last Thursday with an official ceremony led by the regional Emir, Prince Muhammad Bin Nasser. Prince Muhammad described the Province of Jizan as having “huge tourism potential”.
